A Hamptons Castle Christmas
by Emily Hoyt
Summary: Rick Castle is bring the precinct to the Hamptons for his annual New Year's Eve party. But why didn't he let Kate know he would be gone for the holidays? She's not upset... once she gets an even better invitation!
1. Chapter 1

**AN: I want to wish everyone a Merry Christmas (that's right, Merry Christmas!) and let you know I want Rick for Christmas... Anyone?**

**Oh, well. Please forgive my including Ashley in this. I began this story a week or so before the breakup episode! :S I won't be including him much anyway!**

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><p>"But... but Christmas is when we get the weird ones!" Kate burst, staring at Rick as if he was sick. He shrugged and continued to type on his phone's QWERTY board. She sat down with a thud and tossed her head. Kevin and Javier chose that moment to walk into the bullpen.<p>

"So, Castle," Javier said, pulling out a folder from his desk, "when are you leaving for the Hamptons?"

"The 23rd. I'll be back in the new year."

"Wait a sec…" Kate murmured, "am I the last to know?"

"_The wife always is…_" Kevin mumbled to his partner and received a chuckle from his two male cohorts, but his boss's glare had him slinking away to the break room seconds later, Javier following.

They sat in silence in the bullpen, Rick typing away on his phone, oblivious to Kate's inner disappointment. She stared at her keyboard and tried to force herself to concentrate, but failed. Although she would never admit it out loud, she was hurt by Rick's lack of consideration and tried to find a discreet way to ask after his exact plans. She failed there, too.

"So, who's going?" she heard herself say, still not believing she'd actually said it.

"Well, Ashley's parents have a place nearby, so Alexis and he managed to talk his parents into coming away with us. If not, I'd probably have been going alone. As it is, I'll barely see her with Ashley there."

Normally, she'd have managed to sympathize that he'd not be seeing much of his daughter throughout the holidays, but she was too mad at herself for being so disappointed over his going away for the holidays.

"Sounds quiet…" she mumbled, turning back to her work, but Rick pumped his fist in the air and grinned like a cat.

"Not anymore!" he burst before standing on his chair and clearing his throat. "Your attention, please!" he boomed. Kevin and Javier came back in and several cops approached him to listen. "This year, the Castle New Year's party will be held at my house in the Hamptons!" People exchanged glances and looked like they were about to decline, but he continued.

"Anyone who's interested is invited to drive up on the 30th or 31st. Arrangements have been made for any accommodations you may require. There's even babysitting for the night of the party if you want to bring your kids."

The precinct began to whoop and holler in glee, but a door opening calmed the officers. The clicking heels killed it entirely.

"And how could we celebrate without our fearless leader?" he burst, turning to Victoria Gates with a smile. She crossed her arms.

"The mayor just asked if I was attending your annual party. Who don't you invite, Mr. Castle?" she asked, but continued before he could reply. "My RSVP, however, is no. I already promised to visit family back home." With that, she was gone.

When her door closed, everyone – Rick included – seemed to breathe a sigh of relief. There was a light applause and several cries of 'I'll be there!' as Rick hopped off the chair and took a bow, then sat down. Kate snorted and began typing once again. Rick's perpetual stare proved to be too disconcerting to focus.

"What?"

"I'm waiting for your RSVP, detective."

"I'm not sure," she sighed. "I usually spend it with my dad," she told him, hoping it would give her time to decide, but his frown told her otherwise.

"I'm inviting your dad."

"You're what?" she burst before she remembered where she was and dropping back to a whisper. "You're inviting my dad?"

"Of course. You, um… you don't know this, but your dad is the one who asked me to talk to you about leaving your mom's case alone." Kate's eyes widened. "He thought you might listen to me," he explained, lowering his gaze from hers for a moment. "Guess father doesn't always know best…"

Every ounce of her energy went into resisting her desire to chuckle. Biting her lip, she tried to ignore him, but his stare never let up.

"You know, it's creepy when you stare like that," she told him, not lifting her eyes from her paperwork.

"Then answer and I'll stop staring," he said as if the solution were obvious. She spun towards him and opened her mouth to tell him she'd consider it, but if her father was invited, she really didn't have an out.

"Fine," she huffed. "If I can get time off work and my father accepts the invitation, I'll be there, but I can't promise anything." He grinned and began to work on his phone's keyboard. That was the last they discussed of it. After all, he didn't have to know how disappointed she'd been. Or, how happy she was now…

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Days whizzed by and, as each one began, Kate braced herself for a new barrage of questions, but it never came. As she walked in this morning, she settled into her work, waiting for a paper cup of her favorite coffee to appear in front of her, but she was through a serious pile of paper when she noticed there was still no coffee on her desk.

"Hey, Esposito, you seen…" As her gaze lifted from signing her name, she glanced at the calendar and finally realized what day it was, despite having written it two dozen times in an hour and a half. It was Friday. He was gone already. "Nevermind."

"Something wrong, Beckett?" Javier asked, barely managing to suppress a grin. She glared at him and he shut up.

"I'm not used to it being so quiet," she muttered through clenched teeth and shoved herself away from her desk, heading to the break room. Her cell hummed by her hip.

"Beckett."

"Hey, sweetheart."

"Dad," she squeaked, glancing at his watch on her wrist to double check the time. "Is something wrong? It's only a quarter after nine. You never call this early. Is—"

"Katie, slow down. Everything's fine. I'm just calling to ask if you might be able to get some time off."

"Time off?" she parroted, more than a little confused. "Are we going somewhere this Christmas?"

"Well," he mumbled, a clear tell that he was more than likely fidgeting. "I'm, um… I was invited to a party… an intimate party and they said they'd love for you to come."

"Uh hun… who's?"

"Pardon me?" he asked, but she knew he'd heard her.

"Who's party is it?" she clarified.

"Oh, just a friend."

"Dad…"

"A close friend."

"Dad!"

"Richard."

The name didn't register for the first several seconds, going through her mental rolodex until she looked up at the deluxe espresso machine. Not 'Richard'… Rick!

"Castle?" she breathed out, not realizing her father had been calling her name for nearly a minute into the phone.

"How many other people named 'Richard' do we know?" he questioned, chuckling. "We got to talking when he called to invite me to his new year's party and he told me it was going to be only Alexis and him. I told him how much I love out father/daughter Christmases and he said that, if you could get the time off, he'd love to have us. So, go talk to your boss so I can give the man an answer."

"What, right now?" she asked, but he just sighed.

"Immediately! I want to call the man back before the new year. Call me back in ten," was the last thing he said before the line went dead. She stared at her phone for a while before making her way to the captain's office.

"Sir?" she asked, knocking as she opened the door.

"Yes, detective?"

Kate stepped inside and stood before the desk. "Sir, I have about two weeks of vacation time saved up. I'd like to cash it in," she blabbered in one long breath. Victoria never batted a lash.

"Beginning?"

"Effective immediately."

The captain's hands froze mid-word on her report. She set down her pen and looked up at Kate.

"This is a touch last minute, detective."

"I know."

Victoria sighed and leaned back.

"Any particular reason?"

"With all due respect, I don't feel it's relevant, but, in this instance, I've got nothing to hide."

"Everything's my business and you shouldn't be hiding anything from me."

Kate stiffened and met the captain's gaze directly. "Sir, while on a case or during work in general, I agree; everything should come through you. However, my private life is exactly that and I don't believe I should have to answer to anyone. Not you, the mayor, the president… not even my father!"

The captain's eyes narrowed for a brief time before she smiled. "As your boss, that's insubordination," she said as coolly as could be. Kate took a deep breath. "As a family person myself, I respect your determination to protect your personal life."

"Thank you, sir. That being said, my father had been offered a chance to get away for the holidays. He's asked me to come with him to spend some time together." She lowered her gaze, but she heard the smile in her boss's voice.

"I think I understand now."

Kate nodded as Victoria pulled a folder from her bottom drawer. She thumbed through it for a few moments before looking back up at Kate.

"It says here that you have almost a month. How about you get back to me on the 2nd of the new year and we'll figure it out."

Kate smiled and felt tears spring to her eyes. Somewhere in the middle of stretching the truth, she'd realized it _was_ the truth. She needed some time with her dad.

"Thank you, sir," she breathed out. "Merry Christmas, sir."

"Merry Christmas, detective."

Kate ducked into the breakroom and smiled as she pulled her phone from her pocket, dialing.

"Hey, dad… guess what?"

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As the nose of the car turned into the entrance of the beach side property, she wondered if accepting might have been a mistake. Then, she looked up and saw Rick, Alexis and Ashley skating on the lawn and realized the hardest part of being here would probably be leaving.

The car came to a stop and Rick stilled, looking up through a gentle snowfall as she stepped out. With a smile that melted her heart, he glided towards the edge of the rink closest to them and greeted her father.

"Welcome, Mr. Beckett," Rick said as he reached for the man's hand, but he stilled the shake at Jim's pointed glare.

"There's nothing you can do or say, Richard, that makes me feel older than calling me 'Mr. Beckett'," the man said and restarted the handshake. " 'Jim' is fine."

"Well, _Jim_, 'Rick' is fine." Then he turned to Kate. "Hey."

She took a deep breath. "Merry Christmas, Rick." The smile that lit up his face could have illuminated the whole city.

"Merry Christmas, Kate," he replied before looking over his shoulder. "Sweetheart, could you come here?"

Kate smiled as she thought back to her phone call from her father and how he'd used the same term of endearment.

"Yeah, dad." Alexis pulled up alongside her father with her young man in tow.

"Alexis, Ashley, you both know Kate… this is her father, Jim Beckett."

"How do you do, sir?" Alexis said brightly, reaching out a mittened hand.

"Charmed. And you can both call me 'Jim'."

"Jim," Rick continued, "this is my daughter, Alexis, and her boyfriend, Ashley." The younger and older man shook hands. "Ashley's parents have a property three drive ways down."

"I see. Nice to meet you, Ashley."

With all the formalities out of the way, Ashley and Alexis slid back onto the ice and left the adults to their small talk. Rick skated away for a moment and returned seconds later with a change of footwear. Removing his skates, he nearly toppled over twice, but he managed to slip his boots on with little bodily harm.

"Need a hand with the bags, Jim?"

That comment jerked Kate's attention back to the two men before her. Her gaze followed them as they moved to the trunk.

"Hang on!" she squeaked out and both men stopped to look at her. "I thought there was a hotel!"

"Kate!" Rick said in outrage. "I would never invite someone only to send them to a hotel!" he explained, taking two of her bags. "Besides, there are half a dozen rooms in this place."

"But—"

"No 'buts'. I've got rooms for each of us and there'll still be several free if mother does show up."

Obviously unable to sway Rick and, with her father halfway up the drive, she decided she'd offered enough protest. In fact, it was getting difficult to hide her glee.

"Lead the way," she conceded, grabbing the last two bags and closing the trunk, following her father and Rick inside.

The cozy area had gleaming hardwood floors and large area rugs with cream colored walls and chocolate brown trims. She had thought it would be some monstrosity of a mansion, but she'd been wrong. It was large, but all elegance and understated simplicity.

"This is beautiful," she said as they passed through the library where walls disappeared behind panoramic shelves.

"I thought you might like it. The best is yet to come."

They made their way upstairs to a hallway that ran across the house with three to four doors on either side of the hall. He led them to the two at the end.

"Jim, this is your room," Rick said, opening a door onto a navy blue room with maritime accents. A dark four-post king bed sat in the middle and furniture stained the same shade dotted the rest of the area.

"This is perfect," Jim said and dropped his bags just inside before Rick turned to the facing door.

"Milady," Rick grinned and opened the door onto a room with chocolate brown furniture and walls the color of _café au lait_ with ivory bedding on the kind sized sleigh bed. She stepped and ran her fingers over the wooden footboard.

"How beautiful," she murmured to herself.

"Yeah, it is," Rick said softly, but turned to leave before she could comment. "On to _la pièce de resistance_!" he announced as they all moved back into the hall. "By the way," he said, pausing two doors down from Kate's. "The bathroom. There are only two rooms with _en suite_ bathrooms and I leave them for mother and Alexis." He winked at Jim. "Women…"

"Tell me about it," Jim laughed.

The bathroom was massive with a whirlpool tub, glass walk-in shower, toilet and side-by-side sinks. Near the shower was the linen cabinet.

"This place is fabulous, Rick," Jim offered, carefully descending the rounding lobby staircase they had passed when they entered.

"Thank you. This is the kitchen," he said as they passed through another door. Crisp white countertops and appliances gleamed before them. A smile spread across Kate's face and Rick caught sight of it. "Everything's in working order and the groceries are in, Kate."

"Oh, I'm going to have fun here!"

"Speaking of which, feel free to help yourself to anything you want. Food, drink, the library, the Jacuzzi. And everything's well insulated, so you won't disturb anyone."

"Great!" Jim said. "I think I'll check out your collection in there."

"Later. There's one last stop… if we can pull Kate out of here."

At her name, she looked up from the inspection of the smooth-top stove and convection oven. She felt a guilty flush stain her cheeks.

"Sorry," she mumbled, but Jim just smiled.

"Her love of cooking is obvious," he said as he wrapped an arm around his daughter. "And she's good, too."

"I know. She stayed with my daughter and me during…" he trailed as Kate's eyes widened. "…well, there was this case with some security scares. She spent the night. The smell that morning was _incredible_!" The flush deepened. "If you ever left the precinct, you could cater."

"I've told her that a thousand times," Jim said with an expression that screamed 'told you so'.

"Can we… just… finish the tour? Please?" she begged, but she began to rethink her suggestion when he offered his arm. "Um…"

"Humor me," he said gently and, realizing she couldn't deny him when he looked so cute and gentlemanly, she hooked her arm in his to be led through a door.

"Oh!" she breathed.

The round sun room was clear of all furniture and rugs to reveal shiny, dark wooden floors. Floor to ceiling picture windows looked out over the snowy beach and chandeliers caught the winter sun, reflecting it around the room.

"This… is our party room," Rick announced with pride.

"This is gorgeous," she said as she admired the silver decoration in the window and along the mantle of the fireplace. Just as she tried to step out of Rick's grasp, he twirled her out and spun her back to dance to silent music. "Uh, Rick?" she whispered, pointing to her father.

"Sorry… anxious for the party," he said and released his partner who moved to inspect the décor. Out of his arms, she could breathe… and think! Two abilities she held in high regard and the feel of his hands on her back could switch them both off. She took a deep breath as a thought occurred to her.

"This shindig is formal, isn't it?" she asked.

"Well… it's not black tie per se… but it's not jeans and t-shirts either."

"Hm… well, that changes things. Looks like I'll be going shopping."

"After Christmas, there'll be sales everywhere."

"True…"

Jim's head turned from side to side as he followed the conversation between his daughter and her partner, doing his best to conceal his smile. They sounded like him and Johanna and didn't even realize it.

"So… I guess it's tree time," Rick announced, stunning both Becketts. It was Kate who recovered first.

"You waited for us?" she questioned, voicing what was on her and her father's minds. Jim stood silent.

"Absolutely," he told them. "Tradition stipulates that those who wish to enjoy the tree must help decorate it."

"Good tradition," Jim smiled.

"By the way," Rick's brow furrowed as he glanced back and forth. "Didn't you two bring coats?"

"They're in the car. I'll get them," Jim said and disappeared before Rick or Kate could object, leaving them alone in the converted ballroom. She smiled and moved back into the hallway.

"So, Gates let you take off? This last minute?"

"Well, I said my dad got an invitation and asked me along."

"I get it…" he said, somehow understanding the entire situation without exchanging a word. "Anyway, it's the holiday season. Only happy thoughts."

This earned him a smile.

Rick showed Kate into the living room to the large tree in the corner. Boxes were strewn about the room and a large pile of tinsel and lights sat by the space. Kate set to work on testing the peanut bulbs while Rick helped Jim to hang up the coats and called Alexis inside. Ashley saw her to the door, then said he was heading home to do likewise.

In the living room, Alexis began untangling the tinsel while Jim and Rick continued to bring decorations out of the basement. Once they left again, Alexis turned to Kate.

"Detective Beckett," Alexis said as quickly as possible.

"Kate," she offered, but Alexis remained silent and her stare fixed. "I see…" Kate murmured and set the bulbs down.

"My dad's not a cop. What happened scared me. I know you don't remember everything about that day, but…"

At Alexis' words, Kate tried to conceal her guilt, but the narrowing of Alexis' eyes told her she'd failed. Kate felt tears spring to her eyes, but she forced them back.

"You do remember?" Alexis accused. "You remember and you're letting my dad think you don't?" she said, her voice raising. Kate shushed her. "Don't shush me…" she commanded, but did lower her voice. "Why? Why not tell him?"

"Do you know… _everything_ that happened?" Kate croaked.

"The shot rang out as dad dove for you and he held you. Then, Dr. Parish started CPR until—"

"Alexis…" Kate mumbled. "I… I don't remember Lanie working on me. I blacked out after… your dad… he said something to me. Something personal…" Kate lowered her gaze. "Something you can't take back."

Alexis gasped and her eyes widened as understanding fluttered across her features. Kate swallowed.

"What _happened_," she underlined, obviously referring to every event of the day, "scared me, too!" she admitted.

When Alexis finally softened, Kate sighed and her eyes tried to blink away tears. She took a deep breath and swiped at a stray tear when Alexis squeezed her shoulder sympathetically. The last thing she'd expected from this young girl was her understanding and compassion.

"I… I'm still scared," Alexis admitted, "about my dad's… work," she said, removing her hand from Kate's shoulder. "But I know a little about you and… and I can appreciate that." She leveled a gaze at Kate. "But for the record… I know my dad even better. He doesn't say anything he doesn't mean. Not in this kind of context."

"Um…" Kate whimpered, "tell our dads I got dust in my eye," she muttered, taking off to the bathroom as the tears swamped her.

Kate heard Rick and her father come back upstairs and listened as Alexis told them that she'd dashed to flush her eyes free of some dust. She felt more tears seep out and thanked her lucky stars that the teenage girl on the other side of the door could understand the emotional handicap of a grown woman. With a suppressed sob, she grabbed a hand towel and pressed her face into it as tears wracked her body.

Kate lifted the towel when she felt her breathing evening out and reached for a tissue to wipe up her make-up. She cleaned it all off and ran the cold water tap, flushing her eyes for a moment and taking a small drink.

Her mind swam, wondering how Alexis could possibly understand what she was feeling, but she knew she owed the girl an explanation. With a plan of action, Kate took a deep breath and prepared to venture back into the den.

"That's my girl," Jim mumbled, looking into Kate's eyes as she emerged to double check her eyes. His lids narrowed the tiniest bit, but she ignored it and smiled.

"Yup, all better." She turned to Rick. "When was the last time you used these decorations? They're covered in dust!"

"It's been a few years. Sorry about that," he muttered, stepping closer to her and reaching out to tilt her face to his with his finger hooked beneath her chin. "You okay?" he asked gently.

The feel of his finger delicately handling her face made her insides warm and her head swim with an unexpected hope that he might lean in and kiss her. She didn't even care that her father or Rick's daughter were only a few feet away. Still, she managed a nonchalant shrug and a soft 'yup!' before returning to her task of checking the peanut lights. She never noticed Rick curl his hand into a fist and shove it into the pocket of his jeans.

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Sitting around the living room several hours later, they admired the red-and-gold decorated tree blinking with white lights. With all the lights out and the fireplace crackling, nothing had ever felt quite so cozy. She looked at the three faces around her and couldn't help but think that being like this every Christmas would be perfect.

"I want hot chocolate," Alexis suddenly announced. "Anybody else want some?" Everyone mumbled in accord and she dashed into the kitchen, Kate following soon after.

"Need some help?" Kate asked, standing at the island counter, hoping Alexis would accept silently.

"Sure!" she said, a wide smile stretched from ear to ear. "The mugs are in there," she explained, pointing over her shoulder as she poured milk into a microwave-safe pitcher.

It was all Kate could do not to breathe a sigh of relief. They were talking; it was a great start.

"So…" Kate murmured, taking four cups from the cupboard over the sink, "are we, um… are we alright?" she asked as she came to stand by the young girl. Alexis righted the milk carton before turning to Kate.

"I still don't like him not knowing… but I get it." She picked up a spoon and began to fiddle with it, needing a distraction. "I just have one question."

"No problem… I know I owe you both at least that much."

"I spoke with my dad shortly after he went back to work with you. I asked if he was happy... He said that he was, so I just accepted it. Now that we're taking, I have to know." Alexis opened and closed her mouth several times before managing to find the wording she wanted. "Should my dad wait? Is it worth it?"

Kate took a deep breath. She'd been asking herself that for months, ever since he'd whispered those little words to her as she had laid bleeding out in his arms. The sight of him with the insurance agent had sickened her, but she had kept her mouth shut. And, in all honesty, she had no way of knowing if anything had even happened.

"Yes…"

The answer slipped out suddenly before she could process anything else. And, once out, she knew it to be true. She knew why, too!

"I love him…" she whispered, sighing as the words echoed through her brain. "I'm in love with Richard… Alexander Rodgers." She smiled and looked at the young red head before her. "Yes… it's worth it."

The grin that spread across the girl's face was stretching wider and wider. She came around the island and wrapped her arms around Kate in a traditional Castle bear hug.

"I'm glad," Alexis said gently. "I think you guys are good for each other," she confided before releasing Kate and returning to her task. She seemed to be appeased when she looked back up at Kate. "Just please, Kate… don't make him wait too long."

Kate smiled at first, trying to think of if she could hold her feelings back that long, but Alexis' words rang true. Not only did she have to tell him soon, but she wanted to.

"Well," Kate grinned, "New Year's is ideal for confessions…"

Alexis smiled before running over to the doorway. "Dad?" Alexis paused a moment, probably waiting for her father to turn. "Peppermint extract or Baileys?"

"Oh, Baileys, sweetheart!" Rick said, the grin on his face audible in his voice. "Jim?"

"Uh, peppermint for me, thanks," he said softly, making Kate's heart warm. She smiled with pride and was about to step back to the mugs until she heard Rick's voice.

"You know what, Jim?" he asked, the cushions shifting. "You're right. Peppermint extract sounds even better than Baileys…"

He was in the doorway before she could compose herself, her eyes shining brightly. Rick offered her a crooked smile and half a shrug, but she refused to let it slide.

"Thank you," she whispered, her lower lip trembling, touched.

"It's nothing," he offered and took a tissue out of the box to dab at her tears for hers. "After years of living with Mother, I guess I've forgotten what it's like to be around someone who _doesn't_ drink!"

Kate chuckled through a couple of sniffles while Rick smiled tenderly at her, sweeping the tissue beneath her eyes once again. This time, the knuckle of his thumb brushed across her lips and she felt her heart give a little flop. As if his touch wasn't effective enough before, realizing she was in love with him only made it worse.

"I, um…" he muttered, taking a step back and handing her a clean tissue. "I only came in to help Alexis find the extract."

"I already found it, dad…" Alexis interjected behind them, startling Kate and Rick apart.

"Well, so you have… I'll go wait in the living room."

With that, Rick dashed out the door and rejoined Jim in the living room. Kate turned back to the mugs to see Alexis staring at her with a far too familiar and smug smirk.

"You know what your problem is?" Kate asked as she reached across the counter and poked Alexis in the side, making her giggle with ticklishness. "You're too much like your father!" she declared, smiling and stirring the cocoa. "And, believe it or not, I mean that as a compliment."

With matching grins, they each took two mugs and stepped out of the kitchen, Alexis making her way to Jim.

"Hey!" Rick groaned with a smile.

"Guests first, dad!" Alexis replied. "Besides, Kate has yours."

"Ah!" he said, taking the offered mug with a hum of approval. Kate had to swallow a murmur of her own at the sound.

"You okay, Katie?" Jim asked and Kate's smile appeared instantly.

"Sure… just waiting for it to cool a little." He smiled.

"You want me to blow on it like when you were a little girl?" he teased, her cheeks turning a lovely rose color.

"Geez, dad… please!"

"I used to for Alexis," Rick said with a wistful smile. "It's a father thing."

"You said it, Rick," Jim laughed before standing and raising his mug, glancing around at the other three people in the living room. "I'd like to make a toast. To daughters," he said, looking at Rick.

"I'll definitely drink to that!" he agreed, chuckling when Kate and Alexis shared a smile. They tapped their mugs and sipped.

"To friends," Alexis offered, lifting her glass towards the two Becketts. They all raised their cocoa together and shared the toast before taking another drink. Then, another toast was offered up, but it took several seconds before they realized two of their party had offered up the same toast at once.

"To family!"

Rick and Kate's eyes turned to one another when they recognized the other's voice. With their gazes locked, they never noticed Alexis and Jim exchange a knowing smile.

Kate lowered her eyes to the mouth of her mug while Rick shifted his weight for several moments, clearing his throat once or twice as he sought something to say to ease the tension. It was Jim who spoke first.

"Here, here. To family… blood or otherwise," he added before lifting his cup, waiting for Rick, Alexis and Kate to join in. Alexis met his mug within seconds, but it seemed to take a moment longer for them to snap out of their stupor and join in, their own mugs tapping together a second before they met Alexis and Jim's.

"T-to family," Kate said, watching Rick's lips as she said it. When he moved to repeat it, she couldn't tear her eyes away. Rick's eyes rested on Jim and Alexis for a moment before they locked with Kate's.

"To family," he murmured, holding her gaze for a wink longer before smiling at his daughter. "Especially my gorgeous Alexis," he gushed. Alexis blushed, making Kate chuckle until Jim turned to her.

"And to my amazing Katie." This time, it was Kate's face that turned a radiant shade of red. "As you said, Rick, she is extraordinary," he gushed, laughing when her flush deepened. When Rick turned to her, however, it deepened for a different reason.

"Yes, she is…" he affirmed before heading to his daughter's side. In that instant, Kate knew that she was in for a long week.

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><p>Stay tuned for the next chapter!<p> 


	2. Chapter 2

**AN: MERRY CHRISTMAS, EVERYONE!**

**Thanks go out to my reviewers:**

**Rosie85 - Thank you. I'm glad you're enjoying it!**

**Irisrose37 - I like it when Alexis brings things out of people. I think it's those wide blue eyes.**

**Tempe4Booth - Merry Christmas. Consider the story updated!**

**WhoKnows1125 - I hope this story eventually allows the readers to feel a little of everything from sorrow to pure joy!**

**Coloradocollegedreams123 - Thank you for your appreciation. I glad you like it so much!**

**LittleWeasleyGirl- Kate Castle - No more waiting. Here you go!**

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><p>Kate browsed the aisles of a small boutique for nearly an hour before giving up on finding anything for Rick. Stuck together the entire evening following her epiphany had wreaked havoc on her emotions and, with Christmas only hours away, she knew she needed to give her mind and heart a break.<p>

When she awoke in the strange bed, she looked around for a moment before she caught the familiar scent of cologne on the air. She took her bathrobe and bath kit and made her way into the hall. Her father, affectionately named the 'Early Bird', was already up, his door open and his bed made.

Kate smiled to herself and turned to see if the bathroom was free only to walk into a bare chest. The momentum she had as she turned was so great that it took several seconds for her to regain her balance. In the meantime, she was pressed to the warm body from thigh to nose, her lips pressed against the skin stretched over his sternum.

"Whoa!" he yelped, his hands curling around her shoulders to help steady her. "Kate, you okay?"

It took all her strength not to press a kiss to the smooth flesh before pushing herself away from Rick's barely covered body. 'What a lucky towel!' she seethed to herself. She was shocked by the unexpected thought, but managed to sound almost normal when she replied.

"Sorry… wasn't looking. I was just checking to see if my dad was up already." She forced herself to keep eye contact, decidedly safer than letting her gaze slide back down to his chest. She cleared her throat.

"Oh, um…" He began to fumble for words and he lowered his gaze. "Towels are in the cupboard by the shower," he murmured quickly before walking to a far door and shutting it with a little more force than necessary behind him. She, on the other hand, held her breath and froze.

"That's his room," she breathed before hiding herself in the bathroom and locking the door, collapsing against it. Yesterday, it had seemed a safe five doors away. Today, though, it felt as if they might as well be side by side.

Now, as she wandered the little stores trying to find a gift for the man in question, she couldn't help but think of the solid feel of him beneath her lips. In a moment of insanity, she wondered if she shouldn't get him a bathrobe, but the flush she felt warming her cheeks had her deciding against it.

Then, as if by fate, less than a row over, she found stacks of them and noticed one in particular. The dark royal blue Egyptian cotton was as soft as fleece and thick. It would be warm and comfortable and, burying her nose in the collar, she could almost smell his aftershave. She took it off the plastic hanger and held it before her. With a smile, she slid off her jacket and, with her tank top, slid the robe on to test the softness against her skin.

As it closed around her, she knew it was the right gift. With great reluctance, she slid it off and pulled her wool winter coat back on. Oddly, it didn't feel as warm as the robe had and she felt a chill run through her.

Kate made her way to the cash and, laying it on the counter, she felt a pang of doubt and apprehension about her choice, but a brush of the fabric over her hand reassured her. Paid, she gathered the bag and the other parcels she'd found for Alexis, Martha – in case she showed up – and her father. Part of her wished she hadn't found something for Alexis and she could have bought her a robe as well to avoid the awkwardness.

"No!" she whispered harshly to herself, earning a sideways stare from the sales clerk, but she steeled herself. Stepping out of the boutique, she spied a clothing-alterations shop across the street and inspiration struck. With a glance for traffic, she dashed across the street and made her way to the shop.

Kate stood at the counter a moment before an older lady finally made her way to Kate.

"Ma'am?" she said in a soft voice. "How can I help you?"

"Yes, um…" Kate set down all of her bags except the one with Rick's robe. She withdrew it. "I was wondering if you could embroider initials on this?" she asked, pointing to the right side. The woman smiled and nodded, examining the fabric. "I thought maybe in a white, satiny thread? A nice contrast to such a beautiful blue."

"Good eye, dear," she said, stepping to a cupboard and retrieving a spool of thread. She showed Kate a snow white bobbin for approval, which she gave. "Would you like it to be in your handwriting?" the lady asked, surprising Kate.

"It… it's not a machine?" she asked, but the lady smiled.

"The beauty is in the uniqueness; not how perfect it is. I do all monograms by hand unless it's for a work uniform."

"I admire your talent."

The lady passed Kate a piece of paper and a pen. She thought a moment about if she wanted the 'R' and 'C' to overlap or connect in any way, but as she finished the leg of the 'R' with a flourish, she realized that it was all the robe needed.

"'R'?" the lady asked softly. "As in?"

"Rick." The woman's eyes widened.

"Do you mean Mr. Castle?" she asked and Kate felt a blush sneak up her neck. "Oh, you must be that lady detective he's always talking about!" Kate's blush deepened.

"You, um… you know Rick Castle?" she stammered, making the lady giggle and smile.

"Mr. Castle has been coming to me for years for his suits."

"Oh," Kate said with a smile. "You do excellent work."

"Thank you, dear," she accepted, but a sly grin spread across her face. "I must admit, though, that Mr. Castle is one of my finer mannequins."

Kate grinned at the woman, loving her spunk. "Kate Beckett. Also known as Nikki Heat," she admitted on a whim, reaching a hand out to the lady.

"Anna," she replied, shaking Kate's hand. "So… are you and he…"

Kate's initial reaction was to deny it completely, but Anna smiled as she filled in Kate's hand-written letter a little bit. The grin was knowing, telling Kate that, regardless of her answer, Anna knew the truth.

"Not yet," Kate admitted with a sigh. Anna laughed.

"And whose fault is that?" she asked. Kate sighed again.

"Well, back when… I guess… okay, so it's mostly mine."

"Hmm…"

"'Hmm'?" Kate parroted, intrigued. "What, 'hmm'?"

"Nothing…" Anna said quickly, heading to her work bench. Kate stared at her.

"Anna…" she said, trying to sound intimidating. Instead, her voice cracked and she sounded more like she was about to cry. Anna turned to her. "Please, Anna."

"Ms. Beckett… Mr. Castle drove up her a few weeks back so I could start on his suit for his New Year's party. He… he told me it was all his fault."

"His fault?" Anna nodded.

"He… he said something about getting a phone call and how someone told him that your case was much bigger thank you could ever imagine. And that next time, you wouldn't be so lucky… And…" she said, biting her lower lip as tears welled on her lower lid.

"And?"

"And… and that he'd do anything he could to keep you from the case… if it meant keeping you safe."

Kate felt anger and betrayal burn through her as she thought of how she'd told him she _needed_ to close her mom's case before she could move on. Her eyes slipped closed and her hands fisted as she trembled with rage.

"He… he _what_?" she seethed, but Anna's eyes filled with tears as she stood.

"Oh, Ms. Beckett, he told me what you said about needing to solve this case. But, Ms. Beckett… I'll never forget the look on his face when he said he'd rather see you with another man, hating him for the rest of your life, than ever lose you. He said he doesn't think he could survive a second time… especially if he lost you for good this time around."

"He…" Kate started, but nothing else would come out.

"Ms. Beckett… he told me he would rather you live to love another man than die to love him." Anna choked on a sob. "If you ask me, Ms. Beckett… _that's_ what love should be!"

Kate stood frozen at the counter for an eternity, unable to move, her anger at war with the love she felt. Her mind yelled and cried that he'd purposely steered her away from her mother's case. But surely he knew how she'd react?

'But he _did_!' cried her heart and she nearly fell over at the realization. 'He knew you might never speak to him ever again, but he did it anyway. He cared more about keeping you alive and safe than making you love him. He cares more about you than his own happiness! Wake up, Kate!'

"Do, um…" Kate stammered, drawing Anna away from her work. Kate swayed and Anna came to her side in a flash. "Could I get some water?"

"Come with me, dear," Anna murmured and led her to a small kitchenette in the back of the store where she sat Kate down in an armchair while she got a glass of water. "Are you alright, Ms. Beckett?" she asked, sitting on a chair opposite her. Kate kept silent a moment longer.

"If you knew something about a friend… that could ruin your relationship, but would help your friend in the long run… what would you do with that information?" Kate asked.

Anna sighed. "Ms. Beckett… I've been in that situation many times. My friends have… really bad taste in men. Several hit on me while dating my friends. When you drop a bombshell like that, there's really only two ways it can go. Either they believe you and appreciate your honesty… or they sever ties and blame you rather than face a hard truth.

"The thing is, though… I'm still friends with all of them, even the ones who severed ties. Eventually, the anger subsides and… I guess they realize how hard a decision it was to come clean knowing what would happen to our relationship."

"So, you think it's better to hurt a person now than let them get hurt and eventually find out you could have prevented it?" Kate clarified, but Anna laughed.

"That's a mite harsh way of putting it, Ms. Beckett, but yes… I'd rather lose a friend forever knowing I helped them in some way… than keep a friend by hurting or lying to them."

Kate's lips pressed together as she fought back tears, but she lost the battle and they seeped down her cheeks. Kate felt rather than saw Anna move away from her side for a moment before she returned seconds later and pressed a box of tissues into Kate's hands. Kate offered a watery smile, but it didn't last long.

"Wh… what makes you think he's in love?" Kate asked.

"Well, several things. First off, having been in love myself, I recognize the symptoms: the goofy expression when you talk about them… the fact that you don't stop talking about them… the devastation when something hurts your relationship, et cetera… Most of all… I'd say because he told me so."

Kate laughed. "Good reason," she admitted on a sob. "Oh, Anna, I'm so furious at him for hiding this!" Kate burst, but Anna smiled and placed her hand over Kate's.

"Do you understand _why_ he did it?"

"Of course, I do!" Kate cried.

"Then, my dear, you're already past your anger. If not, you wouldn't be seeing reason already." Kate gave a shrug, but Anna saw through it. "Or…" she pushed, a small smile creasing her lips as Kate avoided her gaze. "You're in love with him, too." It wasn't a question; it was a fact.

"Yeah, I am… Very much so…" she admitted.

"Well, Ms. Beckett, it didn't exactly take a psychic. In fact," she said brightly as she stood up and made her way to the kettle to fill it with water, "I bet just about everyone you know sees it written all over your face _except_ Mr. Castle!"

This time, Kate's laugh caught hold and, when it let go, her sides hurt. "That's about the size of it," Kate confided.

"I thought as much. Tea?" she asked, reaching for two mugs.

"Please… but don't you have other orders to fill?"

"Just yours, but I can bring that in here while we talk. I'll be right back."

Anna disappeared into the front of the shop and, a second later, Kate heard a bolt slide into place. Then, Anna moved towards her work table, gathering her tools, before returning to the chair opposite Kate.

"Anna, I know you're busy. You don't need to close up."

"It's Christmas Eve and I want to close up early. So… how long are you going to wait to tell him?"

Kate grinned. "You certainly are direct."

"Ms. Beckett, at my age, you can't talk around things."

"It's 'Kate', please," she said, wiping away her remaining tears. "If we're going to have a heart-to-heart, you should at least use my first name."

"Fine," Anna smirked. "Kate, then… How long?"

"Boy, you're tough," Kate sighed. "New Year's midnight."

"It sounds perfect. What will you be wearing?" she asked.

"Actually, I didn't know it was formal, so all I have is a black cocktail dress…"

"Oh, my dear!" Anna exclaimed. She almost dropped her work as she stood up quickly and reached a hand out to Kate for her to follow. "I have something that will be perfect."

"Anna, please don't go to any trouble," Kate begged, but Anna pulled a length of white chiffon from a spool, held it to Kate and draped a strip of hunter green satin over it. "Oh, wow!" Kate breathed. "But…"

"No 'buts'," Anna chided. "I've got this gorgeous Egyptian design that I've been waiting to make. On you… you'll look like the angel Mr. Castle says you are."

Kate felt her cheeks warm and lowered her eyes from Anna's inquisitive stare. Anna snipped a piece of white fabric about one inch squared and a slip of the green satin about the same size, handing her the swatches.

"You go find yourself a pair of shoes to go with this and I'll finish the embroidery and you swing by to pick up the robe. Okay?" she asked, taking a measuring tape.

"Please, Anna, you need to tell me how much you want for this!" Kate argues as Anna went to measure her waist. Anna paused and thought for several moments before smiling up at Kate.

"I'll tell you what; you pay me… seventy-five dollars to cover the fabric, beading and other materials."

"But, Anna… your time!" Kate cried, but Anna smiled.

"A _real_ smile on Mr. Castle's face is all the payment I need," she said and, when Kate returned the smile and nodded her head, Anna set to work on taking a dozen measurements.

Kate reached for her jacket and began to push her arms into the sleeves when Anna's hand came to rest on Kate's shoulder, her face serious.

"No smile and you owe me the labor," she warned, but a grin managed to surface. Kate sighed.

"Anna, I lied about remembering," she confessed, but the woman shrugged it off. "He might…"

"He lied to you about the case," she pointed out, make Kate frown in confusion.

"Yeah, but… I'm already over it." Anna laughed.

"You may be over it, but you can still use it against him, dear," she explained with a wink, making Kate laugh. With that, she set off on her shoe quest.

*CASKETT*CASKETT*CASKETT*CASKETT*CASKETT*

Kate looked though the shelves of shoes in the boutique for half an hour before giving in and asking for assistance. The sales clerk took the two material swatches and stared at them for several moments before moving to a far row.

"Will your jewelry be gold or silver?" the clerk asked. Kate thought about it a moment before wrapping her fingers around her mother's ring hanging from her neck.

"Gold."

"Then, I recommend these," the clerk said, handing Kate a pair of hunter green satin pumps. "With gold accessories, these will give the outfit a classic elegance."

Kate slid off her boots and took one of the free nylons to try on the pump. It was, perhaps, an inch or two smaller than what she normally wore, but she rather liked the idea of Rick being a little taller in this instance. With a smile, she removed the other boot, donned a stocking and slid on the other shoe to walk around a little.

"They're very comfortable. I like them."

"Glad to be of service, ma'am," the woman smiled before returning to the cash register. Kate stared at the shoes for a long while, wondering about the whole situation. The revelations, the gift, the dress… When had everything become so complicated?

Kate laughed and thought of Anna, her voice saying something to the effects of 'It's only complicated because you're making it complicated!' And Anna would be right; Kate was the queen of excuses and it was time to stop making excuses and start finding solutions.

"I'll take them," she said, sitting the box on the counter and withdrawing her bank card. Seconds later, she was back outside in the frigid air, bag in hand and on her way back to Anna's shop.

She tried the door, but Anna had locked it up once more after Kate had left. Knocking the code Anna had told her, she barely waited ten seconds before Anna was on the other side of the glass, unlocking the door.

"There you are, my dear. I'm almost finished with the embroidery. Let's see the shoes," she demanded as she led the way to the back room. Kate set the back on a kitchen chair while Anna occupied the armchair Kate had been sitting in earlier. She withdrew the box of shoes and changed into them to show Anna.

"What do you think?" Kate asked and Anna gasped in pleasure.

"Oh, those will be perfect with the dress. Silver or gold?"

"Gold," she murmured. "So I can wear my mom's ring," she said as she pulled the band on the chain from inside her shirt.

"Perfect. I use gold beads on the neckline. You won't really need a necklace, though. It's a round Ancient Egyptian-style neckline."

"Well," Kate said as she examined the ring on the thin gold chain. "I wear my mom's ring on a chain."

"Does it fit on your finger?" she asked and Kate shrugged.

"I don't usually," Kate said, suddenly unsure why she didn't.

"I see."

Kate almost screamed in frustration at her reply. How did this woman manage to make four letters sound like a loaded comment? She sighed.

"Why is everything so complicated?" she huffed for the second time that day. This time, she heard a chuckle.

"Because you make it complicated."

Kate burst into laughter and collapsed on a nearby chair as she reached for the chain around her neck. She removed it and stared at the gold band for a while before taking a deep breath and sliding it off the chain.

Kate slipped it onto her right ring finger and smiled as the light glinted off the stone. It fit perfectly and the gem was dark enough to pass for an emerald. She let her fingers fist and release once or twice and wondered if she'd ever wear it on a chain again.

"That ring suits you," Anna said as she snipped the thread and knotted it. "And I'm finished. Here you go, my dear."

Kate admired the snow white letter on the dark blue terrycloth, running her fingertips over it with a smile.

"This is perfect!" Kate gushed. "How much do I owe you?"

"Oh, come, now!"

"Anna, please! You're already making the dress. I refuse to leave without paying for at least this!"

"Fine… let's say five dollars," Anna conceded and Kate placed a twenty dollar bill in her hand. "Someone can't count."

"I'm a big tipper!" Kate grinned, a little pleased to pay Anna back for all her smart comments. Anna tried to frown, but it eventually gave way to a wide smile and an accompanying bear hug.

"You say 'hello' to that fine man for me!" Anna grinned, making Kate laugh.

"If I use your name to make him squirm, you won't say you told me anything, will you?"

"Of course not! Now," she said, pressing a business card into Kate's hand. "Give me a ring, say… the twenty-ninth and we'll meet here for a fitting."

"Sounds perfect. I'll see you then. And, Anna… thank you… for everything."

"For you and Mr. Castle? Anything."

Kate packed the robe into a large non-descript bag, put away her shoes, pulled her boots back on and gathered the other bags Anna had kept for her while she'd been on her shoe hunt. Then, with one last hug to the helpful woman and well wishes for Christmas, Kate left the little shop with a grin.

With all the bags loaded into the trunk of her car, she drove up and down the streets, trying to spot her father who'd gone shopping as well. She had just found a parking spot near their rendezvous location when Jim stepped out of a boutique and waved to his daughter, dashing towards the car.

"Hey, there, sweetheart!" Jim chimed as he climbed into the passenger side. He had several small bags in his hand and set them on the floor between his feet. "How about some heat, Katie?" he said and reached for the dial, but she caught his hand.

"No chocolates or dairy or stuff in there?" she double-checked and laughed when she saw the mental forehead smack that flashed in her father's eyes.

"What would I do without you, Katie?" he grinned as he moved the bags to the back seat and turned on the heater.

"Well, ruin gifts, for starters…" she teased and shifted into 'DRIVE', pulling back onto the main street and heading home…

'Rick's!' she scolded herself. 'Don't get too comfy just yet!' she warned.

"You know…" Jim said gently, staring out his window, "Rick was a little reluctant to invite us." Kate's eyes darted sideways at her father before refocusing on the road.

"Really? Then what changed his mind?"

"Well, he had half a dozen excuses like you getting the time off and how it was a long drive… my favorite was how he seemed to think you wouldn't want to spend Christmas with him… and Alexis, of course! In fact… he sounded like he truly thought you'd refuse."

Kate knew her father was teasing her, trying to get a rise, but she couldn't retaliate past the lump in her throat. Had he truly not sensed her disappointment that he'd be away for the holiday season? And the way he hadn't even bothered to tell her… did he think she didn't care? Her heart broke a little.

"So, um…" Kate said, but her throat was scratchy and she had to clear it before she could speak again. "So, what changed?" she asked. Jim shrugged. "Dad…"

"I may have said he was being ridiculous and, with all you've been through, you'd appreciate this mini va–KATE!"

A cloud of powdery snow puffed up behind them as Kate screeched to a halt in an abandoned parking lot, almost slamming the shifter into 'PARK' before turning on her father in fury.

"Jim Beckett, did you _GUILT_ Rick into inviting us up here!" she bellowed, her father a hare's breath from cowering from his own daughter.

"Um… no. Not… not really."

"Well, then, what would you call it!" He paused.

"Convincing through emotional blackmail?"

Kate lowered the window on her side, stuck out her head and let out an ear-piercing scream that she was sure Rick himself heard, despite the five miles between them.

"Katie…" Jim sighed, "it's alright," he said.

"He took pity on me!" she yelled. "How is that 'alright'?"

"Katie…"

"Dad, why did you do it?" she asked and Jim sighed and rested his crown against the headrest of his seat.

"Because he's in love with you and he needed the push."

Silence permeated the small vehicle as she stared at her father with her jaw in her lap. Kate's mouth opened and closed several times before she could think of anything to say.

"What–"

"I just know. I… I sent him… to tell you to back off your mother's case. I knew if there was someone who could get through to you, it would be him."

"Yeah, but…"

"I could tell." Jim looked at Kate and smiled. "This, um… this might be too much information for you… but he looks at and talks about you like I looked at and… _still_ talk about your mother."

It took Kate several moments to process what her father had just told her, but somehow it still seemed surreal. Her father and a complete stranger had just confirmed what Rick had told her himself as she'd lain bleeding out in his arms not even a year ago.

"I know."

Jim's eyes snapped towards his daughter's face in surprise.

"Katie?"

"I know he loves me…" she admitted. "He told me… after… as I was…"

"Katie," he breathed out.

"Yeah… as he was holding me… while we were waiting for the paramedics… he asked me to stay with him… and that he loved me."

"'_Loves'_, Katie… he still does."

"I'm getting that… there's just one little problem."

"What did you do, Katie?" Jim asked instantly. Kate stared.

"What makes you think–"

"I _know_ you, Katie."

"I lied to him," she whimpered. "He thinks I don't remember!"

"Katie!"

"Dad, could you drive?" she asked, undoing her safety buckle and turning to step out of the car. Jim got out and came around the front of the vehicle and Kate tried to step past, but Jim pulled her into a hug. That's when the tears released and she let herself sag under the stress of it all. Jim sighed.

"You're in love with Rick," Jim chuckled.

"It's not funny! What should I do?" she sobbed into her father's shoulder. He sighed and lifted her head to look her in the eyes.

"You know what you _need_ to do and what you _want_ to do, Katie. Normally, in these situations, you _need_ to be honest, but you _want_ to avoid it by running away."

"But I can't run away," she confessed, swiping at her tears. Her hands wrapped around her father's wrists, trying to draw on his strength.

"Why, Katie?"

"You mean, aside from the fact that he'd just follow me?" she said with a laugh that morphed into a hollow sob. "Because… because, as much as he infuriates me… I can't live without him," she admitted and Jim sighed in relief, his hands cupping her shoulders in support.

"Oh, Katie!" he gushed with a smile. "I think that what you need and want – if you'll pardon the expression – are finally on the same page."

A smile broke out at his words and she felt her tears draw to a close. Her father was right. Anna was right. But, most importantly, her heart was right. She was in love with Rick and she both needed and _wanted_ to tell him.

"You're right, dad. I want to come clean. I want to tell him. And I'm going to… on new year's eve, at his party."

"Kate, sweetheart… are you sure you can hold out that long?"

"It'll be worth it."

Jim made his way to the driver's seat and Kate stepped in on the passenger's. She was now too giddy to focus on driving anyhow. For the last ten minutes of the drive, she thought about how she would tease him for the next several days. Then, the memory of his scent and the damp skin of his chest beneath her lips. Maybe teasing was a bad idea after all. If he ever turned the tables…

When she snapped out of her dream state, they were pulling into Rick's drive way to find an unfamiliar car. She took a deep breath as Jim parked the car near the door and she stepped out after popping the trunk. Kate was bent at the waist reaching for a parcel that had tipped over and was laying at the very back of the trunk when a strong arm appeared in her peripheral vision and caught hold of the bad as if it was right at the front.

"Milady," Rick offered, handing Kate the parcel. She couldn't help but smile as he unwittingly handed her the bag containing his gift. "Is something funny?" he questioned, but the smile widened as she slid the package into a larger bag.

"Oh, nothing," she taunted as she shuffled bags from hand to hand.

"C'mon… let me in on the joke," he pouted. She chuckled.

"You just handed me back your Christmas gift."

The look on Rick's face was priceless; his face twisted in fury aimed at himself and a supreme disappointment. He cursed and looked like he was about to make a grab for the bag in her hand, but he seemed to notice that is had been disguised while he wasn't paying attention and he now had no clue which bag contained his gift.

"Nice try, but too late, Rick."

"C'mon, let me peek!" he begged, but she pulled the bags out of reach and sidestepped him with a move worthy of _Dancing with the Stars_. "Kate…" he whined.

"Oh, Rick, you big baby! We're opening the gifts tomorrow morning; that's not even twenty-four hours away. You can wait."

"Fire, be that way!" he grunted and turned to follow Kate inside, but froze as he turned. "Kate!" he whispered sharply. She turned back.

"Rick, I'm not–" she began in exasperation, but he dashed towards her making a loud shushing noise. "What is it?" she hushed.

"My mother is here. She just arrived. She staying tonight and leaving tomorrow after the gift exchange. I just want to warn you and your dad; she's been hanging mistletoe everywhere and spiking everything in sight. I'm not sure the water is safe!"

"Oh… Martha and my dad?" Kate murmured, trying to convince herself everything would be alright. "Maybe he'd help dry her out a little?"

"More like she'll pickle him!" he growled, looking up as Jim was about to step around him. "Jim?" The man turned to him. "Um… I feel I should warn you; my mother decided to grace us with her presence until tomorrow evening. Just a warning; don't accept a glass of anything from her… not even water! She'll find a way to… _flavor_ it up!"

"I see… thanks, Rick," he said, walking into the house. The voice rang out as the door opened and the barrage of questions began.

"I'm so sorry, Kate," he apologized as he stepped closer to her. She forced herself to ignore the way her pulse sped up, but she couldn't miss the waft of the same cologne she'd nearly kissed off of his chest this morning.

"Don't worry about it," she muttered and sprinted into the house and up the stairs, throwing a welcome over her shoulder to Martha and escaping to her room. With the door locked behind her, she collapsed against it and took a long, deep breath.

"Oh, boy…"

* * *

><p>Leave me some reviews and... <em>maybe<em> I'll continue!


	3. Chapter 3

**AN: HAPPY NEW YEAR, TO ALL MY READERS!**

**I'm sorry it took soooo long to post this chapter, but the Christmas season is VERY hectic at my house. The 23****rd**** being my sister's birthday, then Christmas Eve, then Christmas and the 26****th**** was MY birthday! Busy, busy, **_**busy**_** time around here! **

**So, onto my wonderful reviewers:**

**LittleLizzieZentara – Your review may be short by your standards, but such glowing praise is a lovely Christmas gift, no matter how long it is. Thanks for your approval.**

**ElisaFarAway – Sorry you had to wait for New Year's Eve, but this chapter included the 25****th**** and the 30****th****, so I figured it would be better to post somewhere in the middle of the two, but I've been out for the past three days! Sorry, but here it is now!**

**Madd09 – Thank you for your review.**

**KateAndRick Plus SamAndandy Lover – Well, here's what happens!**

**Pat Toby – Here is your update!**

**Caskett. of .course – Thanks. Glad you like it.**

**Tempe4Booth – Sorry it took a while longer than the last two, but, as stated above… insanity around this time of year!**

**varsha. castle – Thank you.**

**lauritacastle – Thank you for your review. Glad you like it.**

**sillylissy – Yes, I love Anna, too. At the time I wrote it, I wasn't sure if I'd have Martha in it or not. (For all you Martha fans, thank my sister! She's the one that INSISTED I include her!) I thought I needed someone outside the Castle/Precinct circle to shake some sense into Kate!**

**Samara04 – Yes, I agree… Go, Kate!**

* * *

><p>Chapter 3:<p>

Kate snuggled deeper into the pillow, inhaling the scent of fresh linen and trying to go back to sleep. She'd finally accepted this little vacation and the idea of getting out of bed before noon irked her. She was nearly asleep when she heard feet stomping in the hallway. Kate gasped when the door swung open.

"It's Christmas morning!" Rick's voice boomed as he bounced onto her bed. She sat bolt upright in the bed and stared at Rick for a moment and was about to ream him out for waking her so violently. Then, she noticed he'd fallen silent and gone still.

"Rick?" she breathed.

His eyes lifted to her face and scanned her hair, smiling. His arm twitched as he made to reach out and tuck back a strand, but he held himself still. She groaned as she thought about her horrible bed head and reached up to place it when her hand brushed against the satin of her lacy tank.

"Oh, God…" she moaned and fumbled to grab her sheet. She pulled the blanket up to her chin and, with her indecent exposure concealed, she felt a little more in charge. He jumped off the bed and, for a moment, she wondered what she would have done if he had tucked a hair away. If his hand would have secured a stand behind her ear before wrapping it around the back of her neck and pulling her in for a morning kiss.

"We're gonna start unwrapping soon. You, um… you should… uh… yeah," he muttered before making a beeline out of the bedroom.

Kate sat on her bed several moments longer before she could even move. She forced deep breaths in and out and hoped her pulse would ease down its staccato speed. Slipping out from beneath the sheets, she reached out for her robe and pulled it around herself over her flimsy tank top and matching satiny pajama pants.

When she arrived in the living room, everyone was armed with a glass of eggnog and Martha was handing out headwear. Alexis already donned a set of reindeer ears and her father was being handed a pair of snowman earmuffs. Then, Martha put on her own green and red striped hat with pointy elf ears on either side and handed Rick a Santa hat. He pulled it on and squatted down by the pile of gifts. That's when Martha noticed her.

"Kate, dear!" she gushed and fished into the hat bag to find something for Kate, but when she withdrew a second Santa hat, she frowned.

"Oh, dear…" she moaned. "I thought you said we needed a Santa hat, Richard."

"No, mother, I said we _had_ a Santa hat and needed an elf hat with bells."

"Martha," Jim laughed, "give me the hat," he said. When she passed it to him, he snipped a length of ribbon off a parcel and tied it in a bow just beneath the fluffy white pom-pom. "There. Now, it's not a Santa hat; it's a Mrs. Claus hat."

Martha laughed as Jim handed the hat to his daughter with a pointed stare. She took it with a grin and pulling it onto her head before turning to sit on the loveseat at the end furthest from the tree, but Martha claimed it and Alexis was sitting in the other spot and Jim was sitting in the arm chair. The only free spot was the rocking chair by the tree. She was about to sit when Martha pipped in.

"Shouldn't you be helping your husband hand out gifts, Mrs. Claus?"

Kate's eyes shifted to glance at Rick, holding her breath. He met her gaze and swallowed hard before smiling.

"Dear?" he asked. "Care yo give your husband a helping hand?"

"Yes, dear," she scoffed, reaching out for the first parcel Rick handed her. "Martha.," she announced. Martha took it and tore into the paper.

"Oh, Richard!" It was a faux-lynx fur muff. "Thank you."

"To Alexis, from Jim."

"Wow!" she gushed, admiring the broach of kittens wearing scarves, tuques and mittens, holding a Merry Christmas banner. "It's adorable! Thank you so much."

"To… to Jim, from Martha."

"They fit perfectly. How did you know the size?" Jim asked.

"Well, I called and asked Richard to try on one of your gloves and gaged the size based off of how large he said yours were in comparison to his size, which I know."

"Thank you, Martha."

"To… oh! To me!" Kate chuckled. "From Alexis." Kate tore the paper open and admired the black suede _beret_. "Beautiful."

"I'm glad you like it!"

"My turn!" Rick said with an ear to ear grin. "From Jim." The man smiled. "Ooh!" Rick cooed. "Remy Martin VSOP. Thank you, _sir_!"

"To Martha, from me," Kate announced.

"Oh, Kate." Martha lifted the lid and ran her hand over the black-with-scarlet-roses print silk scarf. "How stunning."

"To Alexis, from Martha."

"The Twilight movie companions! Thanks, Grams!"

"To my dad," Kate smiled.

"Oh, Katie…" he said, admiring the black mug with pure white handle as he read the little note. I have to try it. Rick, is there any coffee?"

"Sure. Do you want me to–"

"I'll be fine. Be right back." Jim disappeared into the kitchen and returned with the now white and black mug with the Serenity prayer.

"Oh," Martha and Alexis said simultaneously as they recognized the verse. Alexis congratulated him while Martha fell silent.

"Thank you, sweetheart."

"Alright," Kate hummed and took another package. "To… to dad, love A."

"Oh, sweetheart!" he gushed over the Elvis trivia game. "Thanks."

"Ooh, for me, from Martha!" Kate said happily as she pulled the odd package from the bag. "Oh!" she said as she recognized it. "Is this the foot massage slippers by…"

"Yes, they are! Spa certified and I can tell you, they work!"

Rick chuckled. "That should feel good after a day wearing those spikes you call shoes."

"I'm going to ignore that dig at my choice in footwear. Next gift… to Jim, from Rick."

"Nice," Jim murmured at the black fedora with the white band.

"I figured it dresses up a suit or even a winter coat," Rick said.

"Thanks."

"To Alexis, from me," Kate said with a smile.

"Oh, Kate… thank you!" she said as she admired the silver and sapphire blue cuff bracelet.

"To Grams, from Alexis."

"Oh, to complete the set. Thanks, kiddo," she said as she placed the faux-lynx fur headband alongside the muff.

"To Alexis, love dad," Kate said, grinning as her gaze flitted between the two Castles.

"Thanks, dad!" she gushed, clutching the Taylor Swift perfume gift set.

"To Kate, love dad. Nice order, Rick." Kate opened the paper and smiled as she recognized the small velvet box. She opened it and gazed at the gold infinity knot earrings that had belonged to her mother. "Dad…"

"I just came across them. They were her favorite." She chuckled in reply.

"They're mine, too." She cleared her throat as she closed the box and put it into the pocket of her robe, keeping them close. Then, she took another parcel from Rick. "Martha… from Jim."

"Oh, Jim… it's lovely," she said, admiring the short-hair, faux fur-trimmed fleece cloak. "I love it."

"I'm glad."

"For me!" Rick said as he ripped open the package. "Yes!" he hissed. "Thanks, mother!" he said as he reluctantly set the laminated _Boulevard of Broken Dreams_ picture aside, careful of the neon tube light contouring the bottom of the window.

"To Jim, from Alexis."

"This is perfect, Alexis." He turned the black leather wallet over and admired his initials on the clasp.

Then, Kate picked up the parcel she recognized from her side of the tree. "To Mr. Claus…" Kate teased as she handed the bag to Rick.

"Ooh…" he gushed as he ran his fingers over the fabric, but when it fell open and he recognized it, his gaze slid to her face and she felt her cheeks warm. To his credit, he withheld comment. "The embroidery is beautiful."

"Actually, I found this place," she said with an inward grin. "Anna and I had such a lovely afternoon." Halfway through, his face twisted with alarm and panic and she had to fight not to laugh out loud. If only he knew what she'd been told, he'd be tearing his hair out. And it was such gorgeous hair!

"Yeah," he gulped before shaking his head and reaching for the last box beneath. "Mrs. Claus…" he murmured and set the tiny package in her hand.

"Oh, God…" she gasped as she lifted the lid to reveal a gold heart locket with a picture of her and her mother in each of the portrait holes.

"I'm sorry…" he said as soon as he caught sight of the tears rolling down her cheeks. "I'm so sorry, Kate. If you don't–"

"I love it, Rick. I love it." She reached behind her neck and unhooked the clasp of her necklace. With shaky hands, she barely managed to slip the chain through the loop, smiling when the locket tinkled against the ring. After failing to reattach it twice, she turned to him.

"Could you…" she trailed off and reached the chain out to Rick who swallowed hard and took the fine thread of gold by the clasp. She turned her back to him and held her hair out of the way. The feel of his fignertips against the nape of her neck sent shivers through her entire body and she let her eyes slipped closed as she wrapped the charms in her hand.

"There," he whispered and moved back. Kate smiled and turned back to face him.

"Thank you, Rick," she whispered and pressed a kiss to his cheek before opening the locket and admiring the picture of her and her mother, showing it to her father with a watery smile while Rick smiled to himself and pulled his robe on over his pajamas and t-shirt.

They made their way into the kitchen and everyone pulled up a seat at the table except for Rick and Kate, who both moved towards the kitchen at the same time. They looked at each other for a moment and smiled. Then, they moved towards the kitchen a second time. She headed to the fridge and he pulled out a non-stick pan and a cookie sheet while she retrieved a pound of bacon and a dozen eggs.

"Are you two telepathic?" Jim asked with a chuckle. Kate felt her cheeks turning red with heat while Rick laughed behind her.

"No, dad… just used to working together… Besides, it's what was in his fridge the last time I cooked breakfast at Rick's house… for him and his family."

"And I figured it's what she'd reach for." Rick got out the necessary utensils and they began to work. Near the stove, Rick set up a griddle on the counter and let it begin to warm while he took out the flour, the milk and selected several eggs from the box on the counter. With the batter mixed, he began making pancakes.

"Rick, salt and pepper?"

"Door to the right."

"And the–"

"Parsley. That cabinet to your left," he said, pointing to the doors over the from the stove.

They both moved around the kitchen. Kate kept making trips to the garbage to dispose of the egg shells while Rick made several trips between the fridge and the table to bring out jam, syrup, milk, juice, a carafe of coffee and mugs. Timed to perfection, Rick flipped the pancaked and began eight sliced of toast in his double wide toaster.

"Kate, how are your eggs and bacon coming along?"

"Eggs are nearly done, but the bacon needs another five to ten to be _really_ crispy. Want me to fire up a burner to keep the pancakes warm?"

"Nah… we'll put it on the table and they can start. You go ahead. I'll watch the bacon; I still have more toast to make anyways."

"You go ahead. I'll–"

"Kate, please. You're my guest; I'll finish this up. You go ahead and start eating with everyone else. Please…"

"I feel bad," she said, "leaving you to finish up."

"You already did more than you needed to."

Rick stepped closer to her and gave her a soft smile as he took the spatula from her hands. Kate grinned and nodded her head before stepping away and taking a sport at the table between her father and Rick's mother.

"These eggs are delicious, Kate," Martha said through a fluffy yellow mouthful.

"Thanks, Martha. I like putting maple syrup over them. It's like being at the sugar shack."

"Sounds like a good plan," Martha agreed and reached for the bottle next, which eventually made its way around the table. Rick was smiling and appeared moments later with a plate of bacon.

"Finally, I get to eat, too."

The five sat together and enjoyed the breakfast. There were murmurs of approval and appreciation as they ate and, barely ten minutes later, Martha was excusing herself from her spot between rick and Kate to go pack.

"I've got a new year's party at my acting school, so I wish you all a Merry Christmas and, in advance, a happy new year."

Martha moved around the table and disappeared upstairs. They all sighed and Rick let out a chuckle as he looked up at the doorway.

"First thing once she leaves? Take down all this mistletoe."

"Gee, Ricky," Kate smirked. "I'd have through you'd take advantage of it at the party."

"Well," he hummed with a grin, "while there is nothing I'd like better than to get caught under the mistletoe," he said, sending her a sideways glance, "I can't leave it up. I have several high-ranking politicians coming to my party, which will include copious amounts of alcohol."

"Ah, I see…" Kate said, attacking her pancakes.

"Yes… politicians, booze and mistletoe: a dangerous combo with great potential for a media scandal."

"Good point," Jim said.

"So, what other traditions do you have?" Kate asked. At this, Alexis got excited and began bouncing in her seat.

"We play Pictionary, but we don't bother with teams. We just take turns drawing and we keep track of the winner of each round. We also play a lot of Wii!"

"Sounds like fun," Kate agreed. At that, a bag of luggage thudded down the stairs.

"Well, I'm off!" Martha called from the stairwell. Rick encouraged Alexis, Jim and Kate to finished their breakfast while he saw his mother off.

He returned almost five minutes later and they finished their food before working together to clear and clean the dishes.

"So, on to Pictionary!" Rick announced as he set up a dry erase board in the living room. Alexis and Jim quickly made their way to the couch where Alexis instructed Jim to select his marker color. "Kate? You coming?" he asked staring at her as she stood in the doorway to the kitchen. "You game?"

Kate grinned and made her way to the table to select the red marker, smiling at Jim and Alexis for a moment before she turned back to Rick with a smirk. "I'll go first."

*CASKETT*CASKETT*CASKETT*CASKETT*CASKETT*

Several days of chaos followed the marvellous and hilarious hours they shared on Christmas day. The drawings had been ridiculous and the answers had ranged from funny to bizarre to downright outrageous, several that had to be censored at the last minute, resulting in many cringes from Alexis.

The days since had been a mess of caterers sweeping in and out of the house to prepare the fridge to receive the food. Decorators came in and trimmed the sun room with lights and streamers and even set up a net on the ceiling that held balloons to be released at the midnight hour. Platters of champagne glasses were being prepared on the table in the adjoining dining room –which Rick, Alexis, Kate and Jim weren't using – to facilitate the service come Saturday evening.

Today, Kate was in town, only twenty-four hours before Rick's party. She had called Anna and made her appointment. At Anna's request, Kate brought her shoes and accessories and was fastening her mother's earrings in her hears. Anna stepping in once Kate was dressed and wrapped thin hunter satin stripes around her waist, crossing them several times in front and in back, making narrow X's of green against the snow white of the chiffon. She slid on her pumps and stepped out of the changing room onto the platform in front of the three-panel mirror. That's when she finally saw the whole.

The light-as-air white and hunter green dress fell to her ankles, making her look taller, and the green ties accentuated her waist, narrowing it. Her mother's gold earrings and ring complimented the bejewelling of the round Egyptian neckline magnificently.

"Anna, I don't know what to say. This is perfect. It all looks so… so perfect. I don't know what other word to use. Everything matches so beautifully. It's… it's as if you knew every accessory I would be wearing!"

"Well, dear, I saw your shoes and your ring. The earrings are solid gold, so they match, naturally."

Kate turned and admired herself in the mirror for the longest time before she finally realized she needed to stand still for Anna to pin any adjustments into place. After a few minutes of Anna moving slowly around Kate, she placed a dozen or so pins around the neckline, just to make it a touch shorter. Kate knew she would be introduced to most of the people present and wanted to look as classy as possible. Rick knew she could do cocktail sexy. Now, she wanted to prove she could do classic evening; not necessarily to Rick, but to herself. Last time, Rick had picked and sent the dress and Lanie had taken care of hair, make-up and accessories. Even Martha had pitched in. This time, she wanted to surprise everyone.

"Alright, Kate. I'll hand you a robe; these little alterations won't take long. It's not worth pulling on all your clothes again since you need to try it on one last time."

"True."

Anna handed her a black velour robe and Kate stepped back into the little changing cubicle. She allowed Anna to untie the ribbons at her waist and slide the zipper down for her. Then, she carefully lowered the dress down her body and stepped out of it. She lifted it by the straps and reached it out to Anna who was waiting to take it and begin working on it.

Kate pulled the robe around her body and was nearly knocked off of her heeled shoes. It smelled like him! Kate took another couple of whiffs before humming and snuggling further into the robe. She felt a goofy grin spread across her face and shook it off before stepping back out into the work area. Taking a seat opposite Anna, she closed the robe carefully over her body and took the cup of tea Anna had made for her.

"So, is Rick's suit ready yet?" she asked casually, taking a sip. Anna smiled and her eyes darted to Kate's for a flash of a second before she fastened them once more on her work.

"He came by yesterday for the adjustments and alterations. I figured you would appreciate my keeping you both on separate days so he wouldn't accidently see your dress before he sees you in it."

"Thank you. That was very thoughtful."

"Anytime, dear. I take it you could smell his cologne on that robe you're wearing."

Kate's mouth fell open and she stared at Anna in surprise. How had she figured it out? Kate's face flushed and she snuggled her face into the collar of the housecoat, but all it did was heighten her senses as the scent hit her again and her body hummed as it realized this robe had been against Rick's skin no more than a day ago.

"My dear, perhaps I just see through you a little easier. Perhaps, as you're on vacation, your guard is down a little and you're a little more… well, transparent." Kate felt shame burn through her. "I do hope your guard is better installed when you're with your suspects," Anna said with a mocking look of disapproval which gave way quickly to a smile. "You do know I'm teasing you. But not about the being easy to read right now."

"Yeah, I figured as much since you know almost exactly what I'm thinking."

"Kate, dear… you're in love with the man. It doesn't take a rocket scientist to figure out what you're thinking."

"I know…"

"There!" Anna said as she admired her work. "Here you go. Go put it back on."

Kate took the dress and stepped back into the changing room. She undid the belt of the robe and stepped back into the dress, sliding the straps up onto her shoulders. When everything was in place, she called Anna back and the woman zipped the dress and redid the ties around the waist. Kate stepped back out and onto the platform and gave herself one more glance over as did Anna.

"The fit is perfect now," Kate said, liking that there was a little less cleavage showing as she had no idea who she would be meeting at the party.

"I'm glad you like it. Now, why don't you take it off, put on your clothes and I'll pack it in a bag to keep it safe. I have non-see-through garment bags."

"Perfect."

Once again, Kate carefully removed her dress and handed it out to Anna, who immediately went to work to place it to avoid any creases. As Kate put her jeans and shirt back on, she felt a sense of accomplishment and happiness sweep through her. She was less than a day away from finally revealing everything to Rick. Soon, she would be free to do anything she wanted without having to guard herself against him.

She removed her earrings, returned her mother's ring to the chain around her neck until tomorrow night and carefully wrapped and returned her shoes to the box. Then, sliding her feet into her boots and pulling on her warm coat, she stepped out to find Anna waiting for her with a long burgundy garment bag. The only thing of the dress she could make out was the white chiffon through the tiny plastic window.

"I want to thank you again, Anna. I know you won't let me give you anything for the dress aside the cost of the material. But you should know… when Rick finds out you helped me see things… I wouldn't be surprised if he came knocking with something special for you."

"Well, I know Mr. Castle. And I'm pretty sure you're right." Anna pulled Kate into a big hug and, once she released her, Anna handed over the garment bag. "Now, you get going and make sure you enjoy yourself tomorrow night. Don't let your anxiety get the better of you in any way!"

"I won't; I promise. Thank you…" With one last glance, Kate left the shop and put all her baggage into the trunk. She turned around and saw the drug store behind her and, in a split second decision, she decided to pop inside for a new shade of lipstick and a couple other helpers. With everything she needed to style and set her hair and make-up, Kate hopped back into her car and made her way back to Rick's estate.

As she pulled into the driveway, she had to dodge several people who were moving things in and out of the house. She gathered her bags and made her way inside, trying to let the caterers and waiters do their jobs.

Kate took great pains in removing her dress from the bag and hanging it on a hook on the back of her door, admiring the dress as it hung in front of her. She laid out her mother's jewellery on the vanity and set up her make-up and styling products. After trying several styles, securing it with more than a dozen bobby pins and creaming and spraying it sleekly into place, she decided that the best style was the soft bouncy curls, the sides pinned back at the crown of her head to cascade down her back like a waterfall.

She undid the style and ran a comb through her hair, but it retained the bouncy curls in a mess around her face. Shrugging it off, she left her room and made her way downstairs. She heard Rick's voice in the kitchen making last minute demands of the staff he had hired while standing on a stool to remove the mistletoe in the doorway between the kitchen and the grand dining room.

"Hey," she said as she came in. He looked down at her from atop the ladder and swallowed. "Yeah, I know… my hair's a disaster. I was just playing around with it."

"You look beautiful."

They both stilled for a moment as what he said processed through both their brains, Rick looking away in embarrassment and Kate blushing.

"Thank you. Do, um… do you need a hand?"

"Nope…" he muttered as he pulled out the pin from the ceiling. "I got it. So… how did it go?"

"Oh, the alterations barely took fifteen minutes. I just wanted to get a couple of things I forgot at home like hairspray and such. I made a pitstop at a pharmacy." As they talked, Rick descended from the top step and they moved towards the island in the kitchen.

"Hmm…"

Something was off. He was fidgety and looking nervous. Even though he obviously had something else to say, he didn't seem in any hurry to just say it as he normally would have.

"Is something wrong?" she asked and was answered with a sigh.

"I need a favor…" he said in a single breath and, just to be sure she hadn't misheard him, she repeated it back to him.

"A favor?"

"Yeah…" This time, she sighed.

"Alright, lay it on me."

Rick closed his eyes, took a deep breath and held her gaze.

"This being my party, that makes me the host. And, normally, my mother offers-cum-demands to act as hostess. And… I've gotten used to it. It's a lot easier for two people to circulate than just one." Kate nodded with an uneasy sense of where this was heading. "Well, mother's not here this year… Kate, would act as hostess with me?"

Kate's jaw slackened and she stared at him in surprise for almost a solid minute before she finally gathered her wits and found her voice.

"Rick… I can't do that."

"Of course, you could. But if you don't want to–"

"No, Rick… I can't. I don't know how to be a hostess… and I certainly don't know how to entertain politicians and other writers and almost half of the precinct I work with!"

"Kate, you handle criminal interrogations for a living. You can certainly do this."

"No, Castle! _Beckett_ interrogates criminals. _I_ don't know the first thing about hosting parties!"

At some point during her rant, she saw Rick's face soften and, for a moment, she had no idea what she'd done, but it came to her. She had reverted to using his last name.

"I understand," he said softly and pushed away from the counter, but Kate reached across the island and wrapped her fingers around his wrist, stilling him instantly.

"Rick, I'm sorry… I… You got me a little riled up and… and I guess old habits die hard…"

A smile cracked through his sad expression and he nodded his understanding to Kate before moving to the doorway of the dining room entrance and retrieving his ladder to move it to the living room entrance where Alexis and Jim were playing cards together.

"So…" Rick said, "will you?" he asked as he stepped up onto the ladder. It wobbled a bit and Kate flew to his side to hold it steady while he reached above his head at arm's length to remove the white blossom, but couldn't reach.

"Yeah, okay…" Kate said and Rick nearly toppled off of the step in surprise. He looked down at her with a wide smile and appreciation gleaming in his eyes.

"Thank you, Kate," he whispered and continued to hold her gaze until someone cleared their throat beside the duo. Kate and Rick turned to see Jim with his arms crossed, lifting his gaze from them to the little flower above their heads. He smiled and shrugged.

"Tradition is tradition, Rick," he said with a grin and stood there, waiting. Rick and Kate swallowed and looked at each other for a moment before trying to give a little smile and failing. Kate's stomach fluttered as though it contained a swarm of butterflies as Rick gave the tiniest of shrugs and leaned over the top the of the three-step ladder, growing closer and closer.

Part of her flooded with embarrassment that her father was standing there, watching her and, more so, encouraging it. But when Rick's warm lips touched hers for the briefest of kisses, her last thought was that she didn't care if they were being filmed by reporters in Time Square.

It ended all too soon and, when his lips peeled themselves off of her mouth, she felt a shiver run through her at the lack of warmth. She looked into Rick's eyes and didn't need Anna's help to read his thoughts. '_If only Alexis and Jim weren't here!_'

"Dad, hold the ladder so he doesn't topple. I gotta… go… check on something…" she muttered before she disappeared out of the kitchen and up the stairs, leaning against her door with a pounding heart and the widest grin she'd ever sported in her life. She knew, in that moment, without a doubt, that she _desperately needed_ to tell him. And the only reason that seemed to matter at that moment was that, once she did, she'd be able to kiss him whenever she wanted!

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><p><strong>AN: As you can see, I LOVE my reviews and my reviewers. Leave me one if you're so inclined. And, be warned, next chapter is that LAST ONE! Yes, it's almost done, my friends!<strong>


	4. Chapter 4  The Finale

**AN: Hello to all my readers. Voila! My last chapter, and with a tiny gift at the end. I will be featuring MANY songs in this story (since it is a party!) and I want you all to know which ones I'm talking about, so I'll be including full titles and artists. I'm also going to be mentioning a drink or two which I researched in preparation for this chapter and I will be including a link to the recipes. They're worth a gander!**

**With a big hug for reviewing my story, I thank thee:**

**LadyAilith - I have every intention of writing more. Count on it... Oh, it might not be soon (once the show comes back, maybe I'll see something and be inspired!) Happy New Year. And thank you for the birthday wishes.**

**suusje33 - Glad you enjoy it. Thank you.**

**ImHereForTheStory - I apologize for getting you all enraptured and then announcing that this will be the last chapter. But, who knows, _depending on the reviews, maybe I'll following up with a Hamptons Castle Valentine?_**

**megamatchmaker - Thankum much. Thought you'd approve. If only I could find a publisher as impressed as you...**

**ElisaFarAway - I'm glad you think it was worth the wait. Thank you.**

**Caskett. of .course - As you said, all things must end... but again, enough reviews of encouragement and... *see bold, italicized underlined text above!***

**Tempe4Booth - Well, sorry it took a while, but here's your party!**

**lauritacastle - Thank you for the new year wishes and the same to you.**

**So, Happy Holidays to all and enjoy the final installment... maybe... it depends...**

* * *

><p>Chapter 4:<p>

"Alexis, have you seen Kate yet?" Rick asked as he paced the kitchen, double checking everything before the guests started arriving for the party. He hounded the staff and was in and out of the kitchen a dozen times before someone finally asked him, as kindly as a paid employee could, to buzz off and let them work! Alexis, sighing and shaking her head came in and escorted him by the arm out of the kitchen. She was dressed in her floor-length, plum-colored, satin strapless dress with a sweetheart neckline, ruched bodice and trumpet skirt.

"Dad, Kate has the right to primp. I'm sure, with her job, that she usually only has minutes to dress. Let her have fun, dad. Besides, I'm sure it will be worth it…"

Rick stared at her, his head cocking to the side. "You know something. Oh…" he hummed, following Alexis as she tried to walk away. "You saw her dress? Did you do her hair for her?" he asked. She was at the front door when she turned to face him again. "Is she wearing it up or down?"

"Dad! I don't know. I didn't help her get ready and I haven't seen the dress she's wearing. I can't give you any clues! I'm sorry."

"Killjoy…"

Rick was about to stomp off when to doorbell rang. The gang was here, arriving early for a little private time. Rick stepped up to the door, but sent a look up the stairs before opening it. He hoped she would be ready to welcome all the guests, even the ones from the precinct.

"Hey, guys!" he said with a big smile as he swung open the door. Alexis and Jim came near the entrance, standing in the arch into the solarium-turned-ballroom, and smiled at the arrival of Javier, Lanie, Kevin and Jenny. "I'm so glad you guys could get here early. Now, we have time to talk a little before the crowd arrives."

Javier and Kevin were both wearing suits with ties and smiling as they stared at the women on their arms, Lanie in a dark scarlet halter dress and Jenny in a royal blue strapless sheath. They all stepped in and removed their coats, two hired help stepping forward to collect their outerwear and hang everything in a nearby closet.

"So, where's my friend?" Lanie said with a smile. "Hi, Doctor Lanie Parish," she said as she stepped over and introduced herself to Jim Beckett, who accepted her handshake only to bring the back of her hand to his lips. "Ooh, I like him. You better take lessons, Javi!" she said, laughing as the detective in question came up behind her and wrapped his hands around her waist.

"Jim, this is Detective Javier Esposito, Detective Kevin Ryan and his fiancée Jenny Duffy-O'Malley. Did I get that right?" he asked, smiling when Jenny nodded her head. "Good. This," he said, turning to Jim, "is Jim Beckett, Kate's father and, as you all know, this is Alexis. Kate will be down soon, I guess…" he said with a shrug, but the creak of a step of the entrance stairwell caught his attention as did the stunned expressions on all the detectives' faces and Jim Beckett himself.

Rick turned around and his breath caught in his throat as she stopped halfway down the stairs. Kate bit her lower lip, which was slicked a beautiful shade of raspberry rose. Her darkly traced eyes creased with worry at the stares of her father and co-workers, but the sight of the lump bobbing in Rick's throat told her she had accomplished her goal. Operation Stun-Richard-Castle-Silent was a success! She tucked a loose curl behind her ear, the rest piled at the back of her head, revealing the intricate beauty of the neckline of her dress. She made her way down the last several steps and accepted Lanie's outstretched arms.

"Girl, you look absolutely gorgeous!" Lanie squealed before releasing Kate and stepping back into Javier's embrace. Kate gave a quick snuggle into her father's side as he whispered his approval into her ear.

"So, I guess we can officially toast together!" Alexis said with a smile. She made a little signal to the kitchen area for one of the waiters to bring a round of drinks. A gentleman in black made his way to the group with a platter of champagne flutes, several slightly different in shade. To Kate's delight, the waiter announced that the other glasses were ginger ale for those not drinking alcohol. Everyone accepted a glass and they all moved to make a toast, but Rick remained motionless for a second longer until Kate's eyes connected with his.

"Yes…" he said, clearing his throat and taking a glass from the tray. "I would like to propose a toast. To the twelfth precinct." He spoke his piece and toasted with everyone, but he never even looked at her. His glass rose and they all met in the middle and his gaze swung around the entire group, but they never lighted on Kate and she felt a pang of disappointment ring through her.

"More importantly," Rick continued, "to my friends."

"Here, here," Jim said softly and he raised his glass yet again. When they all met in the middle, their gazes all flicked around the circle, but again, Rick's eyes avoided Kate altogether. She sighed and felt a shiver run through her.

The group made their way into the ballroom, Kate held back only to be joined by her father moments later. He came over to her side and wrapped an arm around her shoulders, rubbing his hand up and down her arm.

"I saw…" he whispered. Kate looked up at him with a crooked smile.

"He's ignoring me… and I don't really know why," she said, taking another swig of her champagne. Her father laughed and set aside her glass of champagne and his of ginger ale aside with a smile before pulling her into a wide hug.

"It's because he's in love with you, Katie," Jim said with a chuckle. "I remember the first time I saw your mother all dressed up. We weren't dating at the time and… I couldn't look at her." Kate glanced up at her father who smiled down at her. "I was afraid that, if I did, I wouldn't be able to keep my mouth shut!"

Kate laughed and smiled at her father for a moment before nodding her head. "I guess he'll have to when I confront him later…"

The doorbell rang and Rick returned to the front door, shaking Jim's hand on the way by. "Kate," he whispered, but still didn't look at her. Lanie came to the door to hook her hand through Kate's to guide her back into the ballroom to talk, but Kate slid her hand back out of Lanie's grasp.

"Actually, I can't. I have to help Rick welcome the guests."

"Excuse me?" Lanie said with wide eyes and cock of the head.

"Long-story short: Martha is usually hostess. Martha's not here. I'm the pinch hitter."

"Girl, this conversation is _not_ over."

"It is for tonight… Excuse me," she said, stepping towards Rick, "I have duties to attend to."

Lanie smirked and made her way back to Javier's side while Kate laughed her way to Rick's side. He turned to give her the quickest of glances before the first wave of guests arrived.

"I'll introduce you to everyone. Don't worry. Besides you'll be with me when we start circulating later amongst the guests. I know everyone, so you don't need to bother trying to remember everyone's name!" The first couple walked through the door. "Hey, Patterson, glad you could make it. James, this is Kate Beckett. Kate, meet James Patterson."

"A pleasure to meet you," she said softly. "Rick speaks very highly of you."

"Thank you for having me, Rick. And thank you, Kate. I'll see you both later."

Kate felt a sigh heave through her and bit her lower lip, but Rick leaned in a little and smiled, still without looking directly at her. He put his lips to her ear and her breath froze in her throat, but all he did was whisper an encouragement.

"You're a natural at hosting," he said before repeating the process on the slew of guests that arrived shortly thereafter.

Kate was introduced to guest upon guest and time flew by as they finished welcoming everyone who arrived within the next two hours. By this time, the ballroom was peppered with people, some on the dance floor while others hung around the bar area. Others were gathered around the fireplace, admiring the decorations and chatting between them. Kate wanted desperately to make her way to her peers, but knew that would mean at least an hour of answering questions about hasty departures from the precinct and being a hostess for the evening. Wandering away from Rick meant she would be struggling to remember the guests and having to discuss mundane topics that she really didn't care about.

In truth, the only thing about this evening that she was looking forward to was her discussion with Rick. She figured just after midnight was as good a time as any, seeing as he would have to toast in the new year. That's when a new thought hummed through her; midnight. As hostess, they should be toasting together, shouldn't they? And wasn't it tradition to kiss the person you were with or nearest you? She felt her heart flip over in her chest. Midnight would be very interesting this year for a multitude of reasons.

It wasn't long after everyone started arriving that the music began and couples hesitantly made their way onto the dance floor. Songs faded in and out and, from her position at the front door, she had still been able to recognize many of them. When _Have a Little Faith in Me_ drifted to her ears, she couldn't help but smile. As eclectic a mix as if was, featuring disco, pop, soft rock, and the old crooners, every song managed to pluck at her heart strings. The notes simmered down and were soon replaced by _After All_ and she felt herself chuckle.

"Something funny?" he asked in between introductions, completely oblivious to the words of the songs playing just a door away. She turned and found, for the first time that evening since her arrival, he had actually directed his eyes in her general direction. He still, however, was not looking her in the eyes.

"Yeah, just something struck my funnybone."

"Mr. and Mrs. Jones," Rick said as they circulated together. Kate shook hands with both of them and they all talked for several moments, more guests still arriving in drips and drabs throughout the evening. Kate enjoyed playing hostess with Rick and was finding, to her surprise, that she could hold her own in pretty much any conversation. She also noticed, to her relief, that Rick tended to direct the topics of conversation onto something that she could relate to as a cop.

They moved from guest to guest around the room and made nice-nice, offering drinks if they noticed empty hands or glasses. Kate noticed an older couple in the corner of the room and nodded their presence to Rick who picked it up and they made their way over. The couple smiled, introducing themselves as parents of a fellow cop who had asked Rick if they could come to the party as well. Rick offered them drinks and they were about to make their way to the bar, but Kate smiled and dashed off to get them the drinks they had asked for.

"So… Beckett…" Lanie said as she approached the bar, coming to stop at Kate's side. "What is all this about hosting with our Mr. Richard Castle?"

"Lanie, it was so last minute, I almost declined!" she said as she placed the order for the drinks. As Lanie pumped her for more information, the music changed again and she heard the American Idol runner-up from several seasons past singing one of his many hits.

_Something 'bout the way you look tonight_

_There's something 'bout the way that_

_I can't take my eyes off you_

_There's something 'bout the way your lips invite_

_Maybe it's the way that_

_I get nervous when you're around_

"Girl, you know I'ma need more than that. C'mon, spill," Lanie requested, but Kate never heard a word. Her eyes had found Rick's through the crowd and his were locked on her. She saw his expression change a little when he realized he'd been caught staring, but he couldn't help it. His irises darkened as his gaze locked with hers and they held each other's across the room as the music continued.

_It's in the way that you move me_

_And the way that you tease me_

_The way that I want you tonight_

_It's in the way that you hold me_

_And the way that you know me_

_And when I can't find the right words to say_

_You feel it in the way…_

She felt a smile tug at her lips as she listened to the words and she tried to continue holding his gaze, but their intensity burned her very core. Her eyes glanced down a few inches and she bit her lower lip as she looked back to the bartender who had completed the order in the time she had been ogling.

"Girl!"

"Sorry, Lanie… Hosting duties…"

She made her way back the couple, but to her dismay, Rick had stepped away and was now chatting with another couple. With this, Kate realized he was leaving her to her own devices for a while, as if to prove to her that she could handle this on her own, like anything else life had thrown at her to date.

"Here you go," she said with a smile and continued to chat with the couple as they shared stories with her about their son, Kate's heart warming with each word. They were so proud and, despite not knowing the man very well, Kate knew him well enough and had worked with him two or three times. She couldn't help herself as she shared her own stories with the proud parents.

"Thank you, detective. We appreciate how much you value our boy."

"You're very welcome," Kate whispered and made her way back into the fray of guests, about to try and locate a familiar face when a man made his way to her, took her hands in his and pulled her onto the dance floor. He was drunk and lively disco music made for overly-enthusiastic dancing on his part, which almost cost her an eye and two toes as he narrowly missed stepping on them. She didn't mind terribly until the song ended and she recognized the first notes of the next song as he took her by the waist and pulled her against him.

"Um…"

"Excuse me," Rick said, putting his hand on the man's shoulder and peeling him off of Kate as much as he could. "Do you mind if the host cuts in to dance with his hostess?" he asked, giving Kate a quick glance as if to say 'Shut up and go with it!'. Kate felt herself holding her breath, for the moment not thinking any further than getting the drunk fool off of her. That's when she noticed how Rick's eyes had narrowed and the man backed away a little more quickly than an inebriated person should. Rick turned back to Kate.

"Thanks for saving me," she whispered. He nodded but said nothing. His eyes moved to see where the man was, but he'd barely moved more than a meter away, as if to wait and see if Rick actually would dance with her.

"Dance with me?" he murmured, but he was already wrapping his hand around her waist, pulling her into him and beginning to sway as the man and woman sang together.

_I thought that dreams belonged to other men_

'_Cause each time I got close, they'd fall apart again_

_I feared my heart would beat in secrecy_

_I faced the nights alone_

_Oh, how could I have known_

_That all my life I only needed you?_

_Oh, almost paradise_

_We're knocking on heaven's door_

_Almost paradise_

_How could we ask for more?_

_I swear that I can see forever in your eyes_

_Paradise…_

They had grown nearer and nearer during the song's progression and she found herself growing nearer still as she rested her cheek against his shoulder, her eyes half closed as he swayed them back and forth. His arm was wrapped around her waist and she had lifted hers to drape them behind his neck and, for several seconds, neither seemed to notice the way she was playing with the tendrils at his nape or how the thumb of his free hand was caressing her shoulder blade through her gown.

_It seems like perfect love's so hard to find_

_I'd almost given up_

_You must have read my mind_

_And all these dreams I saved for a rainy day_

_They're finally coming true_

_I'll share them all with you_

'_Cause now we hold the future in our hands_

_Oh, almost paradise_

_We're knocking on heaven's door_

_Almost paradise_

_How could we ask for more_

_I swear that I can see forever in your eyes_

_Paradise…_

Kate felt heat creep into her cheeks as she hummed to the tune, her heart kicking into overdrive when his free hand wrapped a little more tightly around her waist. She snuggled her face further into his shoulder and felt his chin rest atop the crown of her head.

_And in your arms, salvation is not so far away_

_It's getting closer… closer every day_

_Almost paradise_

_We're knocking on heaven's door_

_Almost paradise_

_How could we ask for more?_

_I swear that I can see forever in your eyes_

_Paradise…_

_Paradise…_

_Paradise…_

The song trailed off and she heard another starting somewhere in the recesses of her now foggy mind. She wondered what she should do, but the choice was taken from her when her mind finally caught up to the lyrics and, from the look on Rick's face, they had caught up with him, too.

"I'm going to kill that deejay," he said as Kool & the Gang began to sing of their love for Joanna, but Rick and Kate both seemed to find Jim Beckett in the crowd at the same time and he was smiling and talking to a woman who seemed to have a sympathetic look on her face. Kate sighed and knew her father was just fine.

"Rick, tell the deejay he's doing a good job," she whispered before pressing a kiss to his cheek. He turned to her, stunned. "Thanks for being so thoughtful. And thanks for the dance. I… I think I need a drink," she said with a smile and, with one last pat to Rick's arm, she made her way to the bar, ordering herself a French Martini and smiling as she watched Rick continue to mingle with his guests.

"You're hot for Castle," Lanie said in a sing-song voice as she sidled up alongside her friend. "You're hot for Castle. You're hot for Castle!"

"Lanie, I'm not _hot_ for _Castle_..." she said with sigh as she turned to her friend with a soft smile lighting her face. "I'm in love with him."

Nothing had ever managed to surprise the coroner or render her speechless, but Kate's declaration just had. Lanie's eyes grew wide with joy and she jaw slipped open as she wrapped her arms around Kate and pulled her into a hug, which Kate returned with a giggle.

"Girl, I'm so happy for you!" she said, placing her arms on her shoulders. "I really don't mean this in a bad way, but I'm so glad you finally figured it out!" Kate's eyes narrowed, but her grin was permanent. "I mean it in that you can finally be together now. Not that the other intonation doesn't apply, too. It certainly took you long enough." Lanie tried to sound confident, but the laughter in voice couldn't be concealed. "I'm _so_ glad for you. When did you tell him?" she asked.

"I haven't yet, Lanie, so do me a favor and don't tell _anybody_. Not the guys, not Jenny… no one. Just… just in case… it doesn't…" she said, the nerves fluttering again for a moment. Kate took her drink from the bartender and took a healthy sip as Lanie put her hands on her hips.

"Why would he ever turn you down?" she asked, but Kate shook her head.

"Trust me. I have kind of a bombshell to drop on him and he has one, too, that I found out about from a third party, so… we need to talk a bit. But, we will… as soon as midnight hits."

"Well, girl, start rehearsing, 'cause you only have about an hour or so left. You two spent so much time welcoming guests at the door that you're barely getting to have fun."

"Well… we had a nice dance just now," she said gently, sipping her drink as a dreamy smile snuck onto her lips. "Lanie, I'm so happy… and… even if the talk doesn't go according to plan or he's changed his mind or… whatever… we're good together and I love him too much to not try."

"You _are_ in love, girl!" Lanie said proudly. Then, she let her gaze move up and down Kate a few times. "You're also shorter. How come you're not wearing your amazon heels? They look killer!" she asked, but Kate grinned.

"Because they're exactly that. I knew I'd be standing a lot and… I also didn't feel like I needed to be so tall tonight. Tonight, I'm 'Kate'… not 'Beckett'."

Lanie smiled and they looked up as the next song began, making them both smile. Rick and Javier were talking together and, at the start of the tune, Javier nodded towards Lanie and Kate… mostly Lanie. Rick followed and they made their way to the two women with grins.

"Care to dance, doctor?" Javier said with a smile, hooking his arm through Lanie's and leading her to the dance floor, leaving Rick and Kate standing at the bar. Rick looked over her shoulder and ordered a scotch on the rocks before they both turned back to observe the party.

"Hell of a party, Mr. Castle," she said with a smile as a Latin singer began an updated and sexier version of _Stand by Me_. On the dance floor, most couples bobbed back and forth to it, but Rick and Kate watch in amusement and Javier guided Lanie in a dance that looked like it belonged in the club scenes from _Dirty Dancing_. "They dance like they're glued together," Kate said with a chuckle.

"Well, we weren't exactly at arm's length earlier," Rick muttered under his breath and a little closer to her ear than she expected. She felt a shiver run through her and smiled up at Rick.

"You're party is going very well, Rick. And just think of Javier and Lanie as free dance entertainment for your guests." At that, Javier dipped Lanie so low that her head almost brushed the floor, Javier leaning over her.

"After that, I'm not sure anyone will dare step foot on the floor," he said, taking a sip from his drink. He sighed. She took another sip of hers and toyed with the glass, running her finger around the mouth of the glass.

"Well… I'm not game to dance alongside them," she declared, taking the last drink of her cocktail before setting the glass back on the bar. "However, I am game to follow them. Are you?" she asked with a grin as he turned towards her with a shocked expression which slowly turned mischievous. "Okay, well I was…"

"If you want to dance, _detective_, then let's _dance_…" he said and took her hand immediately before she could turn away. Stepping out onto the floor, Rick began mimicking Javier's movements in an intimate and sensual bachata that soon had Kate panting for breath. She felt his hips move against hers as they stepped from side to side and front and back, her left arm slung around his neck as he guided her in and out of movements.

As the song drew to an end, Kate felt her herself holding her breath to see what he would do as a finally. To anyone watching, the way he spun her out and curled her back in would have seemed anticlimactic and more like a routine step, but Kate and Rick dissolved into their own little world as her hand landed on his chest and he stared at her lips.

"Thanks for the dance," she rasped and was about to step out of his hold when another song started and he pulled her, if possible, closer still. As the notes danced on the air to her ears, she smiled to herself as she recognized the Nat King Cole tune from her father's old vinyl collection.

_It was fascination, I know_

_And it might have ended right then at the start_

_Just a passing glance, just a brief romance_

_And I might have gone on my way, empty-hearted_

_It was fascination, I know_

_Seeing you alone with the moonlight above_

_Then I touch your hand and, next moment, I kiss you_

_Fascination turned to love_

Rick waltzed her around the room, his right arm wrapped around to cup her shoulder blade and her right hand curled in his left, cradled against his chest with her head pressed once again to his shoulder, his chin resting atop. Other couples moved about the floor around them, but they never noticed the other presences. The smell of her perfume and the thump of his heartbeat accompanied by the beautiful three-quarter time music drowned out anything else.

_It was fascination, I know_

_Seeing you alone with the moonlight above_

_Then I touch your hand and, next moment, I kiss you_

_Fascination turned to love_

Kate lifted her head off of Rick's shoulder and felt her breath freeze in her throat, the warmth shining in his eyes. She wondered if she should try and step away, but found she couldn't. Not only did her feet refuse to move her away from Rick's side, but his arms tightened around her when all she did was sway a little due to their proximity. The music began to play again and she sighed at the song.

"Dance with me?" he asked again and, like last time, didn't wait for an answer. The music played and they did little more than sway to and fro to the timeless piece.

_Oh, my love, my darling_

_I've hungered for your touch_

_A long, lonely time_

_And time goes by so slowly_

_And time can do so much_

_Are you still mine?_

_I need your love_

_I need your love_

_God speed your love to me_

Rick's hands ran up and down her sides and she shivered at the light touch of his fingertips through her dress. She wound her arms around his neck once more and, rather than press her face into his shoulder, she placed her cheek against his, sighing at the feel of his soft skin against hers, his breath warm against her neck.

_Lonely rivers flow_

_To the sea, to the sea_

_To the open arms of the sea_

_Lonely rivers sigh_

"_Wait for me, wait for me"_

_I'll be coming home, wait for me!_

'Oh, yes,' she thought. This definitely felt like she was home. Not here in this house. Not in the Hamptons. And not in New York City, either. Right _here_, in Richard Castle's arms. _This_ felt like home. And she'd been waiting a long time to feel like this, too.

_Oh, my love, my darling_

_I've hungered, hungered for your touch_

_A long, lonely time_

_And time goes by so slowly_

_And time can do so much_

_Are you still mine?_

_I need your love_

_I need your love_

_God speed your love to me!_

"Thirty seconds to new year's!" the deejay announced, but Rick was in such a stupor that be didn't even notice the waiters moving through the dance floor with platters of champagne flutes. "Will our host please offer up our new year's toast?"

Rick looked behind Kate and plucked two glasses off of a passing tray, handing one to Kate before taking a step back so as not to scream in her face.

"To the new year," he said loudly. "To health, happiness… and love… the rest is a bonus!" he said, never once taking his eyes off of Kate's face. She smiled as the whole crowd erupted with the countdown as the deejay streamed it over the speakers live from Times Square.

"Seven… six… five… four… three… two…one… Happy New Year!"

Kate tried to take a sip of her champagne, but he was fast and had her lips crushed to his before she could even lift the glass. His free hand came around her and his fingertips tangled into her hair to massage her scalp as he kissed her. She murmured into his lips and desperately wanted to take a breath of air, but the passion was too intense to relinquish. Inhaling sharply through her nose, which was just as difficult as it was crushed against his face as well, she let her own free hand reach up and wrap into his hair, digging into his scalp and holding him against her as the craziness continued around them.

It seemed like a lifetime when they separated and, for the briefest of moments, she wondered if everyone was staring at them, but they were all too busy with their own festivities to even notice. With a breathy smile, she pulled him against her for round two.

"Kate," he mumbled into her lips, his mouth devouring hers as insatiably as hers was his. She moaned and tried to figure out what to do with the glass to free her other hand, but her mind was in no state to process a real thought.

"We need to talk…" she breathed into his lips and turned, heading for the French doors that led to a balcony. Thankfully, it had been cleared of snow and the night was mild. She took a deep breath and pressed her fingertips to her still tingling lips.

"I'm sorry…" he said immediately as he closed the door. She spun towards him, her mouth hung open and, Lord help her, all she wanted to do was kiss him again.

"What… what for?"

"You're right… there's something we need to discuss and I think… after that… this is a good time."

Kate stood in stillness as she waited for Rick to continue, but he ran his hand over his face several times before he began to speak again.

"When you were shot, I said something… And… and I have a suspicion… that you _do_ remember it, but you're still pretending not to. Now… if that's the case, then… well, I guess I have my answer. But on the off chance that you truly don't remember, I need to tell you. I need you to know and I need to know that you know so I can move on." Kate stood in stillness as he took a deep breath and looked her in the eye. "Kate, I love you," he said. He didn't try to embellish it or make it fanciful. It was straight-forward and as heart-wrenching as it had been that day so long ago.

"I know…" she whispered, lowering her gaze and taking a deep breath. "I lied, Rick. I remember everything up until you… saying that."

They both stood in silence for several moments, Rick's eyes sagging and his mouth drooping at the corners. He tried to force a chuckle, but it turned into a sniffle as he blinked and turned away.

"Rick… is there anything else you should tell me?" she asked, waiting to see what he would say. She thought it would take him a while, but his response was instantaneous.

"No."

"Are you sure? No… no information or declarations or… or phone calls?" she asked and he froze with his hand on the handle of the French door. His shoulders hiked up to his ears for a moment before they fell.

"How did you find out?" he whispered so low she could barely hear him. Barely, but she did.

"Anna," she said simply and watched as his head wiped around, his eyes glazed with fury, betrayal, but most of all pain.

"Kate, promise me you won't go after him. Please!" he begged, coming close enough to see the goosebumps on her shoulders. He cupped her upper arms in his hands. "Kate… please!" he implored, but she shook her head, not angry or hurt. Simply honest.

"I can't promise that, Rick. This is something I need to do. I thought you understood that."

"Understanding it and being able to endure the consequences are two different things!" he bellowed. "I couldn't bear to see you get hurt again… or worse!" His eyes glassed over and his breath came in ragged huffs, but he held her eyes.

"I'll be alright… if I have you to help me," she said softly, but he released her shoulders and took a step back.

"Not only can I not help you, Kate, but I won't," he said, stepping closer to the doors as she tried to take a step towards him. "No… when you start, you stop listening to reason and I know now that… that I can't pull you back. I'm not sure anyone can. More than that, though… I won't be staying at the precinct." Her head cocked to the side and stared at him. "I won't put myself through that. I'm going to need space, and… as much as I'll miss Esposito and Ryan, I can't sit there and watch you fall in love with another man. I want you to be happy," he said quickly, "but you can't expect me to endure seeing it happen."

"Who said anything about falling in love with another man?" she said softly and it was his turn to stare at her in confusion. "When Anna told me what you told her… about keeping me from my mother's case… I could've killed you with my bare hands." Rick winced and his eyes slipped closed as he waited for her to continue. "Then, she told me what else you said… that you'd rather see me happy with someone else than die chasing my mother's killer just so I'd be free to love you.

"Rick, I heard you say you love me, but there is a _very_ good reason I kept pretending I hadn't." He sighed and nodded his head. "Because even though I was sure I wasn't in love with you, I knew I wasn't a good enough liar to convince either of us."

Rick's eyes fluttered open and he stared at the snow for a couple of seconds before he lifted his eyes to face Kate. She felt tears sting her eyes and the warmth as they rolled down her face.

"I also realized that I'm very stupid." Rick looked at her incredulously as she chuckled and nodded her head. "Yeah, never thought I'd admit to something like that myself, but I know it's true. You see, I thought that I needed to know who killed my mother and to find closure before I'd ever be able to identify real love. I thought I couldn't have one without the other. But…" She toyed with the ring on her finger and smiled. "But I've come to realize that… the only reason I couldn't feel true love was because… I still hadn't experience it. And, once I did, well… I did! That's the point! I still didn't have closure, but I felt it. And that's when I realized that… one could help me endure not having the other."

"Oh…" was all the famous writer could come up with and the thought made Kate burst out laughing. "Uh… care to share?"

"World famous mystery writer Richard Castle doesn't know what to say. That's just… funny! I'm sorry," she giggled as she leaned against the steel railing and jumped away. "And that's cold," she said with a frown before turning back to Rick, who was at least sporting a smile now. "Rick?"

"Kate, I could never refuse you anything. Ask anything you want of me. Just… just please don't ask me to stay. I won't subject myself to that. I _refuse_ to subject myself to that."

Kate took a deep breath and stepped closer to Rick, a step at a time. She took another step and another until she was less than an inch from his body, could feel the warmth emanating off of him. Her eyes glanced down at his chest for a moment, her hand resting against his pounding heart and, when she lifted her gaze, her heart thudded painfully at the agony in his expression. She smiled and let her hand slide up to his neck, resting her forehead against his.

"Kiss me," she whispered and gasped as his lips pressed to her eyelids, nipping down her cheeks and across her nose before he took her chin between his thumb and index finger and pressed his lips ever so tenderly to hers. The gentleness stole her breath and she felt tears seep from her closed lids. No one had even been so gentle and yet so passionate with just one kiss and her heart lurched. His lips played over hers a moment longer before she sighed and pressed her fingertips to his cheek, smiling as the muscle fluttered beneath her touch.

"Rick, I love you so much."

He stilled and, for a moment, she wondered if he was alright. He stopped breathing, moving and his eyes stared unblinking. If she didn't know any better, she'd have thought he'd just died standing up. He seemed to stay like that for an eternity before she saw his mouth close and his Adam's apple bob with a hard swallow. She did likewise.

He tried to talk, but no matter how many times his mouth opened and closed, there wasn't a single sound coming out of it. She felt an uncertain smile tug at her lips and she tilted her head a little and, when he finally managed to utter something, she was shocked by his declaration.

"You're short," he said in a tiny breath and she shook her head, clearly not on the same wavelength as he was.

"I… I don't…"

"The… the first time… the first time we kissed… you were taller."

She smiled. "The first time we kissed, you kissed Beckett. And Beckett needs to be tall… and strong and… she needs to be Nikki Heat. You let me be 'Kate'… and it's just one of the things that made me fall in love with you… Richard Alexander Rodgers."

Rick sighed. "They're one in the same and they make each other what they are. But…" he said, smiling and sniffling. "If Kate is the one who's in love me, I'd rather have her," he said, grinning when she chuckled in reply.

"Actually… I'll let you in on a little secret," Kate said, gesturing for him to put his ear closer to her lips so she could whisper into it like a co-conspirator. He leaned in closer. "We're both in love with you," she confided and barely had time to draw another breath before his lips closed over hers with a deep kiss that shook her very core. She wrapped her arms around his waist and his wound over her shoulders, hugging her as close as humanly possible as he kissed her senseless.

"Rick," she whispered. "I love you," she said once more, sighing. "Boy, that sounds nice."

"You're telling me," he teased, letting his fingers draw little shapes on the small of her back. She moaned and rested her head against his chest once more, sighing when she felt the weight of his chin against her crown. He kissed the top of her head and hugged her tightly into him. "I love you, too, Kate Beckett."

"You do realize, however, that we have remain professional in the office. You know, we can't go off into corners when there's work to be done or such."

"You mean, no christening the interrogation room?" he asked with a pout until she reached beneath his blazer and let her fingernails trail down his back and halfway down his rear cheek before dragging it back up.

"I never said that," she whispered. He groaned and she felt a chuckle bubble within.

"You're an awfully big tease," he said, reciprocating by allowing his fingertips to come precariously close to her chest. She moaned.

"You give as good as you get, Mr. Castle." She snuggled in further. "Besides, I still haven't tried that whirlpool tub…"

"You know what's the worst part of being a host at a party?" he asked, his voice nearly a growl in her ear, making her squirm in delight. She shook her head. "You're stuck there until the very end…" he told her and she initially groaned in reply, having forgotten that little detail. Then, she chuckled instead and turned them both back towards the door to return to the party.

"Don't worry, Ricky…" she whispered into his ear. "The year just began!" she said and, with one last smile, she disappeared into the ballroom, grinning at the look on Rick's face and the shade of navy his eyes had become. He followed her in and caught her wrist, twirling her back into his embrace to begin another dance.

With wide smiles and stolen kisses in between steps, they never did notice the elegantly dressed older woman sitting in the corner, admiring her handiwork from afar… in every sense… After all, she needed to know whether or not the detective owed her!

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><p><strong>So, as promised, the following is the drink that Kate orders:<strong>

**French Martini - a martini consisting of vodka, Chambord raspberry liqueur and pineapple juice with a twist of lemon.**

**And, as for the music, le voila! I hope you enjoy it and, as I have done once or twice, feel free to reread this chapter with the music playing at the right time! So worth it:**

**- Have a Little Faith in Me – John Hiatt**

**- After All – Peter Cetera & Cher**

**- The Way – Clay Aiken**

**- Almost Paradise – Mike Reno (of Loverboy) & Anne Wilson**

**- Joanna – Kool & the Gang**

**- Stand by Me – Prince Royce**

**- Fascination – Nat King Cole**

**- Unchained Melody – Righteous Brothers**

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><p><strong>So, like I said, review, pretty please, and you just might convince me to make a Valentine's Day follow-up...<strong>


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